


Way of the Force

by talesfromtheguild



Series: The Way of the Force [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Dom/sub Undertones, Eventual Romance, F/M, Female Reader, Fluff and Smut, Jedi, Jedi Reader, Mildly Dubious Consent, Misuse of the Force, Psychological Torture, Shameless Smut, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Torture, Violence, Written in 2nd person, fast slow burn, im making up how the force works (kind of), slowly editing, technically an OC but not really?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:34:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 133,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22626409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talesfromtheguild/pseuds/talesfromtheguild
Summary: The Life of a Jedi is never easy, and you can only run for so long before the past catches up to you. The past comes in the form of a Mandalorian Bounty Hunter who finds you on the desert planet of Arvala-7, where you had planned to live out your days. When the Mandalorian arrives your plans for an easy, peaceful life are thrown out the window as you traverse and navigate the stars with him, and the strange green child he also picked up.Series Warnings: violence, torture, sexual tension, smut, angst, death, misuse of the Force, more tags to come.
Relationships: Din Djarin x reader, Din Djarin/You, The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Original Female Character(s), The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Reader, The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/You
Series: The Way of the Force [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091048
Comments: 76
Kudos: 518





	1. Chapter 1: A Deal is a Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’ve been hiding out on Arvala-7 for a while now, happily avoiding the bounty hunters that come to collect something from across the desert. Your life was fine until the Mandalorian showed up, looking for you.
> 
> Chapter Warning: violence, misuse of the Force, Jedi/Jedi ways are portrayed wrong
> 
> Word Count: 10,323 (edited)

The Mandalorian walked through the cantina’s side entrance, and towards the Guild’s bondsman that operated off of Nevarro. The bar was busy for how late it was in the afternoon, not that that surprised the Mandalorian, cantinas were always packed with people wanting to drown their sorrows, waste time away, and forget about life for a moment. A dozen eyes tracked him as he walked across the room, his boots thumping heavily against the concrete flooring. The Guild leader in question held a surprised look on his dark face as he took in the Mandalorian as he approached.

“Ah, that was fast. Did you catch them all?” Greef Karga asked, leaning back against the booth seat he relaxed in. 

The Mandalorian laid four tracking fobs down on the table, showing the Guild’s leader that he had indeed caught every bounty he’d been assigned, and quickly too. Karga checked each fob, before nodding at the Mandalorian.

“Good. I’ll begin the off-load.” Karga said, before ordering one of the other Guild members to begin the off-load in Huttese.

With a click of a buckle, the Mandalorian swung his pulse rifle off his back, and laid it in his lap as he took a seat across from Karga. With a satisfied grunt, Karga presented Imperial Credits to the Mandalorian as payment.

“These are Imperial Credits.” the Mandalorian stated, glancing down at them with a dissatisfied look on his face behind the mask.

“They still spend.” Karga replied with a shrug.

“I don’t know if you heard but the Empire is gone.”

With an agitated twist of his body, Karga relaxed against the back of the booth seat again. “It’s all I’ve got.”

Not wanting to be paid in Imperial Credits, the Mandalorian reached forward to take back the bounty fobs. Just as the fobs were being lifted from the table, Karga reached out to stop the Mandalorian.

“Save the theatrics. Fine, I’ll...” he stated, before caving in. He grumbled while digging in his bag for other forms of payment. “I can do Calamari Flan. But I can only pay half.”

With a small tilt of his helmet that Mandalorian considered his options. Being paid half of what he was promised wasn’t ideal, but being paid nothing wouldn’t help the Covert. There were mouths to feed back home. With another tilt of his helmet, the bounty hunter agreed.

“Fine.” He placed the tracking fobs back on the table, and took his payment, tucking it away. Looking back at the Guild’s leader, the Mandalorian itched to go after more bounties.

“What else do you have?” he asked.

“Hmm…” Karga said, digging out more pucks from his bag. “I have a bail jumper, a bail jumper, another bail jumper, a wanted smuggler…”

“I’ll take them all.” stated the Mandalorian, moving to swipe all the puck’s off the table. Karga stopped him again for the second time that day.

“No. Hold on. There are other members of the Guild, and this is all I have.”

“Why so slow?” asked the Mandalorian.

“It’s not slow at all actually. Very busy. They just don’t want to pay Guild rates. They don’t mind if things get sloppy.”

With half a sigh the Mandalorian said “What’s your highest bounty?”

“Not much. Five thousand.” Karga replied.

“That won’t even cover fuel these days.” the Mandalorian pointed out. Karga groaned in agreement before clicking his tongue. 

“There is one job.” Karga said, his voice getting quieter.

“Let’s see the puck.”

“No puck, face to face. Direct commission - deep pocket.”

“Underworld?” the Mandalorian asked, his interest was piqued. Karga avoided the Mandalorian’s gaze.

“All I know is no chain code. For either of them. Do you want the chits or not?” Karga asked, pulling out two chit cards from his breast pocket.

The Mandalorian swiftly took the two chit cards, before rising from the table to leave the cantina. He moved through the streets, passing through the marketplace as dozens of species bartered for the best deal they could get in the Outer Rim.

After taking a few turns, the Mandalorian arrived at the meeting place. He knocked on the door, and stepped back waiting for the worst. A gatekeeping security droid - a TT-8L model - popped out from the wall of the building, asking the Mandalorian to state his business. The Mandalorian showed the two chit cards to the TT-8L droid and waited. The security droid scanned the cards, beeped a few times and then retreated into the wall. The door slid open and a GNK droid waited to escort the Mandalorian through the premises.

The Mandalorian cautiously followed the GNK power droid as it chatted away in droid speak. It led him down a dark hallway, which ended in a sealed door. The Mandalorian braced himself, preparing to go for his blaster at his side, just in case something awful lay behind the metal doorway.

The door hissed open to reveal four armed stormtroopers, protecting an older looking man, dressed in long maroon and black robes. The Mandalorian stepped through the threshold, hand hovering over the blaster at his hip. The stormtroopers focused on the Mandalorian before them, their own weapons ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.

“Greef Karga said you were coming.” said the Client.

The Mandalorian stepped forwards. “What else did he say?”

“He said you were the best in the parsec.”

A door to the Mandalorian’s right slid open as a skinny bearded man walked through the opening. The Mandalorian drew his pulse rifle and blaster and aimed at the newcomer and the stormtroopers, just as the stormtroopers aimed at him.

“Freeze!” ordered one stormtrooper.

“Drop your weapons!” demanded another stormtrooper.

“No!” begged the man who’d entered the room, “No, no, no. Pardon - Sorry - I didn’t mean to alarm.” stuttered the man, who held two tracking fobs in his trembling hands.

The old man got up from his seat, trying to ease the situation. He moved towards the Mandalorian, who kept his blaster and pulse rifles aimed at their rightful targets.

“This is Doctor Pershing. Please excuse his lack of decorum. His enthusiasm outweighs his discretion. Please lower your blaster.” asked the Client.

“Have them lower theirs first.” the Mandalorian stated.

“We have you four to one.” sneered a stormtrooper.

“I like those odds.” came the Mandalorian’s reply. They were at a stand-still.

The Client took another step forwards, stepping into the Mandalorian’s personal space.

“He also said you were expensive. Very expensive. Please sit.”

The Client backed away from the Mandalorian, and gestured for the stormtroopers to lower their weapons. As soon as the stormtroopers lowered their blasters, the Mandalorian followed suit. He tucked his blaster back into his hip holster, and sat down in front of the Client and the Doctor with his pulse rifle strung across his lap. 

The Client unfolded a black and red piece of cloth in front of the Mandalorian, revealing a hunk of beskar.

“Beskar?” the Mandalorian asked. The Mandalorian hadn’t seen beskar - real beskar - in a long, long time.

“Go ahead. It’s real.”

The Mandalorian cautiously picked up the piece of beskar, and let himself feel the weight of the metal in his hands. He could feel the cold bite the metal gave off even through his leather gloves. This was the real deal.

“This is only a down payment. I have a camtono of beskar waiting for you upon delivery of the asset.”

“Alive.” Pershing interjected. The Mandalorian turned his head to look at the Doctor.

“Yes, alive.” the Client agreed, somewhat reluctantly. “Although, I acknowledge that bounty hunting is a complicated profession. This being the case - proof of termination for either asset is also acceptable for a lower fee.”

“That is not what we agreed upon.” Pershing stated, turning his head to the side to look at the Client. 

“I am simply being pragmatic.” the Client said, leaning back in his plush chair, dismissing what Doctor Pershing had said. 

“Let’s see the puck.” the Mandalorian said.

“I’m afraid discretion dictates a less traditional agreement. We can only offer you the tracking fobs.” the Client said, waving Pershing over. The Doctor gingerly handed two tracking fobs over to the Mandalorian, who took them into his gloved hand. He gave them a passing glance before tucking them away.

“What’s their chain code?” the Mandalorian asked, raising his arm to punch the chain code into his gauntlet.

“We can only provide the last 4 digits for both.”

“Their age? That’s all you can give me?” the bounty hunter asked, annoyance nearly clipping through the voice modulator.

“Yes. They are 50 years old.”

“And the other is half that age. We believe around 25.” added Pershing.

“We can also give last reported positional data. Between that and the fobs - a man of your skills should make short work of this.” said the Client.

The Mandalorian rose from his seat and began towards the door, his pulse rifle still clutched in his hands.

“The beskar belongs back into the hands of a Mandalorian. It is good to restore the natural order of things after a period of such disarray.”

The Client’s words made the Mandalorian stop in his tracks, making him listen. The Mandalorian thought of the Great Purge that nearly wiped the Mandalorians from the galaxy. He thought of how many people lost their lives thanks to the Empire, and its greedy paws. 

“Don’t you agree?” asked the Client.The door slid open, and the Mandalorian stepped across the threshold. 

What the hell had he gotten himself into?

*

After getting new armor from the Armorer, leaving Nevarro for Arvala-7, getting attacked by Blurrgs, and trekking across the desert, the Mandalorian wasn’t entirely sure taking on this bounty - these  _ two _ bounties - were quite worth the trouble. But the thought of getting back some beskar spurred him on. That much beskar would benefit the tribe greatly. 

He just hoped beskar would make this worth it in the end.

*****

Just as the sun was setting, Kuiil returned from his trek to investigate the ship you had seen land not far from the moisture farm. He did not return empty handed or alone however; Two new blurrgs were in tow, along with a Mandalorian. 

You watched as his armor, mainly his helmet, glinted in the setting sunlight. Watching him help Kuiil corral the newest blurrgs into a holding pen, you focused on his aura. The Mandalorian had a distinct signature that registered in the Force. There were sharp and severe shards of white and pale yellow and golden ropes of light, floating around him like broken shards of glass with the Mandalorian being their center of gravity to rotate around. You, in your nearly 27 years, had never seen such an interestingly shaped and colored aura before. You’d never seen a real Mandalorian before either. You’d only heard stories from your travels as a young girl from your Master, before you arrived on Arvala-7, and made a life here with Kuiil on his moisture farm. Now you just had to hope this Mandalorian did not have a tracking fob linked to your chain code. Mistakes had been made in your past, and you were hoping to avoid facing anymore of their consequences, hence why you were here on Arvala-7. You had paid your penance for the mistakes you had made. 

Bounty hunters have been coming to Arvala-7 for a couple of years, seeking out a bounty on the other side of the desert from where Kuiil’s farm was located. Kuiil had done his best to help guide those bounty hunters to the bounty they sought out, but after watching them disappear on the horizon, none of them ever returned. You suspected the Mandalorian would meet the same fate as those who had come before him - but you had a feeling he would succeed where the other before him had failed. 

“Many have passed through. They seek the same one as you.” Kuiil spoke. You made sure to stay outside the front door, keeping your back pressed against the metal wall, out of sight but well within earshot. Your curiosity about this mysterious stranger got the better of you. 

“Did you help them?” the Mandalorian asked.

“Yes. They died.”

“Well then I don’t know if I want your help.” replied the Mandalorian. You had to slap your hand over your mouth to stop yourself from laughing aloud. The sarcasm was strong with this one. 

“You do.” Kuiil replied. “I can show you to the encampment.”

“What’s your cut?” asked the bounty hunter.

You slowly peaked inside the hut, wanting to steal a glance at this mysterious Mandalorian. His helmet faced Kuiil, watching as the Ugnaught poured himself a drink, and another one for the Mandalorian. As if sensing your presence, the Mandalorian turned his visor to look in your direction. You slipped backwards before the bounty hunter could see you, making sure to hold your breath to keep as quiet as possible.

“Half.”

“Half the bounty to guide? Seems steep.” replied the Mandalorian. The Mandalorian’s words made you poke your head out again.

“No. Half of the blurrg you helped capture.” Kuiil gestured towards the door, out to where the blurrg were kept. He caught your eye, making you hastily slip back behind the safety of the wall.

“The blurrg? You can keep them both.”

“No you will need one. To ride. The way is impossible to pass without a blurrg mount.”

“I don’t know how to ride blurrg.” the Mandalorian admitted.

“I have spoken.” Kuiil stated, and that was the end of their conversation.

*

Rising before dawn, you made fast work of your personal chores before you had to tend to the moisture farm. You stepped into the sonic shower, brushed your teeth, and dressed for the day before slipping from your small hut - adjacent to Kuiil’s sleeping quarters - to tend to the blurrg and the moisture farm. You made sure to constantly check over your shoulder for the Mandalorian. You did not want to know if he had a bounty on you that he planned to collect on.

After you had fed the blurrg, and fixed a few leaking pipes that surrounded the moisture farm, Kuiil had come to find you. He had informed you that before he and the Mandalorian set out to make for the compound across the sands, he was going to fulfill his promise and teach the Mandalorian how to ride the blurrg. You had laughed, and wished him good luck. Learning to ride a blurrg was difficult, but once you got the hang of it, it was pretty easy. 

Kuiil had asked you to prepare a couple of meals for the Mandalorian, and you hesitated to give him an answer. When Kuiil informed you that the Mandalorian was asleep in the main hut, you agreed. You fixed the bounty hunter breakfast, and packed him a small parcel of snacks for his journey. When you entered the main hut, you quickly set the food on the table in the middle of the room, careful not to get too close to disturb the Mandalorian.

You looked at his sleeping form, stretched out across the couch in the middle of the living room. Half his armor was rusty, and dinged up, while a few pieces looked newer, and better suited for battle or bounty hunting. Before you could stop yourself, you found yourself raising a hand, searching and feeling for him in the Force, trying to figure him out.

Frantic beeping resonated from the bounty hunter, making you jump in surprise, making you forget your sudden interest in the Mandalorian. You ran from the main hut, and slipped away without being caught. You made sure to keep to the shadows and corners when traversing across Kuiil’s land. 

Choosing to return to your hut, you sat on the dirt floor and held your lightsaber in both hands, focusing on the Force, letting your powers levitate the metal hilt in the air. You stayed away for quite some time, giving yourself time to calm down and recollect your thoughts. When you had felt better, more settled and clear headed, you went in search of the Mandalorian and Kuiil.

You found them near the stables.

You stood near Kuiil, but kept yourself hidden near the radio tower, all while watching as the Mandalorian was thrown from the blurrg for the seventh time that morning. It took everything within you not to laugh at the poor bounty hunter as he got his ass handed to him. He was a sight to see, giving you entertainment after having been without it for quite some time. 

“Perhaps you should remove your helmet.” Kuiil suggested.

“Perhaps he remembers I tried to roast him.” the Mandalorian shot back.

“This is a female. The males are all eaten during mating.” replied Kuiil.

The bounty hunter groaned as he got off the ground, and moved to mount the blurrg again. You huffed in amusement, which caught Kuiil’s attention.

“You were just like him when you began.” he said, quiet enough that the bounty hunter couldn’t hear.

“I broke my leg when I tried to ride.” you fired back at him. You recalled how Kuiil had to snap your bones back together before bandgaign them up in a rickety cast. It had taken months for your leg to heal, and for you to be able to walk again without a limp. Your leg still hurts every now and again when dust storms roll through the valley. The Mandalorian mounted the blurrg in a swoosh of motion. The blurrg yowled in mild distress, before swinging around and around, tossing the bounty hunter off her back again.

“9th times a charm?” you guessed, crossing your arms across your chest.

With a frustrated sigh, the Mandalorian moved towards you and Kuiil. You scurried to hide behind the tower, pressing yourself against the wall to be as small as possible and out of view from the Mandalorian’s gaze. 

“I don’t have time for this. Do you have a land speeder or speed bike that I could hire?” he asked.

“You are a Mandalorian!” Kuiil reasoned with him. “Your ancestors rode the great mythosaur. Surely you can ride this young foal.”

You smirked at Kuiil’s words. It wasn’t a well known fact, more of an unspoken rule about the Mandalorian race, never challenge them to anything - you’d more than likely lose your bet.

You poked your head around the metal radio tower you hid yourself behind, watching as the Mandalorian looked back at the blurrg. She growled and gurgled in protest as the Mandalorian slowly walked over to the blurrg. He made slow, cautious movements as to not startle her.

“Easy. Easy.” he said, his hands in front of him to show her he wasn’t a threat to her.

You moved further from your hiding place, watching in amazement as the Mandalorian tried to coax the blurrg to settle down. Your heart leapt into your throat as the blurrg restlessly moved, making the Mandalorian jump.

Waves of calmness ebbed from you and into the blurrg via the Force, just as the Mandalorian’s hands came to rest on the blurrg’s snout. The blurrg calmed down immediately, which intern calmed the Mandalorian. You let go of the Force, letting the Mandalorian handle the situation on his own.

The Mandalorian mounted the blurrg in a swift, smooth glide. She protested slightly, before giving in to the Mandalorian and his power. The Mandalorian and his blurrg began meandering towards the blurrg that Kuiil would mount in a moment. Kuiil nodded in approval, before turning to you, being mindful not to alert the Mandalorian to your presence. 

“Be careful.” you told Kuiil.

“He has a bounty on your head.” Kuiil pointed out.

“I know.” you stated, looking off towards where the Mandalorian waited for Kuiil.

“He may return to collect.”

“I’ll be ready.” you replied.

“Don’t forget to feed the blurrgs.” Kuiil reminded you.

“I won’t forget. Be careful Kuiil.” you stated, looking down at the Ugnaught that you’d come to view as a mentor. He nodded once at you and then he was scurrying over to his own blurrg to guide the bounty hunter to the encampment.

*

As the sun was beginning to set on Arvala-7, you wondered if you were seeing things. You weren’t surprised to see the Mandalorian two days later - he had a tracking fob linked to your chain code, so of course he was going to return to the farm. But you were surprised to see that he had a baby in tow with him however.

The Mandalorian came to stand below Kuiil, who stood atop the radio tower, fixing it. His visor looked straight at you, with his hand pointed towards you with a rapidly blinking tracking fob. Your hand hovered over your lightsaber as you watched the bounty hunter and the floating bassinet.

“I thought you were dead.” Kuiil stated. 

A small green creature stood on the ground, watching frogs hop about. You set a bucket down by one of the dozen wells Kuiil had across his farm. You stared down at the Child, looking deeply into his huge brown eyes. A sharp pin prick of pain bloomed on your forehead as you immediately felt the baby reading you through the Force. Nonsense and random images clouded your mind, confusing you at this random assault of new and cryptic information. He was strong with the Force - very strong and limited in his training. You took a surprised step backwards, astonishment written across your features. You tore your eyes away from the baby, breaking his connection to your through the Force. With a shaky breath you looked at the bounty hunter.

“This is what was causing all the fuss?” you asked.

The Mandalorian began fiddling with his malfunctioning vambrace, keeping his visor titled in your direction.

“I think it’s a child.” replied the Mandalorian.

“Well duh.” you laughed, crouching down to get a closer look at the baby.

The little green monster made grabby hands at you, as he continued to read you through the Force. Images of your past surfaced at the front of your mind, bringing wave after wave of nostalgia through you. Nameless faces filled your mind, old bounty hunters chased you all across the galaxy. Phantom pains from past wounds stung across your body. 

“Better to deliver it alive then.” Kuiil stated, snapping you out of your trance.

“My ship has been destroyed. I’m trapped here.” replied the Mandalorian.

“Stripped not destroyed.” Kuiil said, handing the Mandalorian a tool he needed to fix his vambrace. You tore your eyes from the Child, and gazed at the metal bounty hunter before you.

“The Jawas steal, they don’t destroy.” you commented as you stood up, dusting the red earth from your fitted gray cargo pants.

The Mandalorian looked back at you. The fob at his hip kept blinking rapidly. 

“Stolen or destroyed. Makes no difference to me.” the Mandalorian growled, just as the baby began to coo. You and the Mandalorian focused on the Child. “They’re protected by the crawling fortress. There’s no way to recover the parts.”

You looked down at the baby as it pounced on the green little frog it had been watching. You looked back at the Mandalorian with your arms crossed over your chest.

“You can trade.” Kuiil stated.

“With Jawas? Are you out of your mind?” asked the Mandalorian, handing back the tool to Kuiil.

“I will take you to them. Y/N will bargain. You will trade. I have spoken.’ Kuiil said.

“What?!” you asked, dumbfounded over the fact that you were being forced to help the very bounty hunter that was going to take you in once his ship was repaired.

The baby cooed again, catching everyone’s attention.

“Hey. Spit that out.” the Mandalorian ordered the little green gremlin.

The baby had the entire frog in its mouth, trying to eat it. With a few swallows, the baby had consumed the frog. A look of disgust washed over your face as the baby giggled at you. He made ‘grabby hands’ at you, which you looked to the Mandalorian for permission. When he said nothing, you took that as your cue to not do anything, even if you wanted to pick up the little green gremlin. This was his bounty after all.

Kuiil made a step towards his hut, before spinning on his heel. His gaze moved from you to the Mandalorian and the tracking fob. Your hand moved towards your lightsaber, just as the Mandalorian moved towards his blaster. Tension hung heavy in the air as you stared the Mandalorian down, your muscles tensing as your body prepared to flood itself with adrenaline to hopefully save your life. 

“You cannot have her.” Kuiil sighed.

“She’s a part of this bounty.” The Mandalorian replied.

“Who’s bounty?” you asked, placing your hand on your lightsaber. Who had deemed you worthy enough to put a price on your head? Who had you pissed off? 

The Mandalorian didn’t answer you.

“You cannot take her.” Kuiil said again.

“I propose a duel.” you offered before you even had the chance to think about what you were saying. This might be your only chance at freedom… you had to try  _ something _ . 

The Mandalorian cocked his head to the side, as if ready to hear your offer. The action of him tilting his head reminded you of your Master, which made you pause for a second. You blinked away your sadness and stared at the Mandalorian’s helmet. 

“You win: I’ll bargain with the Jawas for your ship parts, and you can take me in as your bounty. I win: you leave me alone, forever. And you give me that puck.”

“Will you still bargain for my stolen ship if you win?” he asked, his head tilted to the other side now.

“If you’re nice.” you teased him. You looked at Kuiil and the Child standing next to him. You didn’t want Kuiil, that baby, the blurrg or any of the important farm equipment to be caught in the crossfire of this duel. 

“We’ll have to move into the desert. I don’t want to destroy the farm.” you told the Mandalorian just seconds before you ignited your lightsaber.

The blade ignited, a soft white and an almost bluish glow surrounds you and the Mandalorian. The light shines brightly in the baby’s large brown eyes as he stared up at you and the Mandalorian. You looked down at the baby, before taking a step backwards. The Mandalorian said nothing, only gestured with his drawn blaster for you to lead the way.

Adrenaline coursed through your veins, as you take off. You ran and ran and ran, passing several pens that held blurrgs, leading the Mandalorian towards an area of the moisture farm that Kuiil wouldn’t mind if it got roughed up. The bounty hunter behind you gives you a ten second head start into the desert before he takes off after you, his heavy boots thunking against the dirt as he gives into the chase.

You heard a blaster shot whizz by your ear, making you duck down. Another whizzed passed you, this time much closer to your chest. You dove behind one of the large wells that littered the land, panting as you pressed yourself against the cold stone.

Poking your head out slightly from your hiding spot, you immediately dropped back down as the bright fiery light of a blaster shot registered in your mind. The blaster shot zipped over your head. If you hadn’t moved you’d have been dead.

Adjusting your stance, you crouched down, back still pressed against the cold stone of the water well. You tightened your grip on your saber, inhaled and then moved.

You knocked a blaster shot away with your saber, dodging another shot that came at you. The Mandalorian was relentless in his attack. As you were busy dodging bullets, swinging at the bounty hunter with your lightsaber, he was busy readying his vambraces.

You felt the heat of the fire before you could really register what came at you. You yelped in surprise, shoving a hand out in front of you, you used the Force to send the fire backwards.

Using your surprise to his advantage, the Mandalorian fired his blaster at you again. He heard you release a noise, one he wasn’t too happy to hear. He needed you alive if he were going to be paid in full. When the fire had cleared, the Mandalorian was surprised to see you weren’t where he thought you were.

With the Mandalorian distracted for a second, you used it to your advantage. You shoved him backwards with the Force, sending him sailing through the air before roughly crashing into the earth below your feet. He groaned in pain as he sat up.

He quickly struggled to his feet, anger radiating off him. He fired at you again, which you smacked away with your lightsaber. He shot at you with his grappling line, watching as it tangled around your legs.

With you momentarily distracted, the Mandalorian advanced on you, removing his pulse rifle from his back. As you knelt to remove the line, the Mandalorian took aim. You stood, and adjusted your stance and grip on your lightsaber, before taking a look at the Mandalorian. Your eyes widened in fear, and then you felt the electricity course and burn through your nerves.

Your back collided with the hard ground, a rock jabbing into the back of your ribs, making you cry out. The Mandalorian held his blaster towards your head, his finger hovering over the trigger. Your lightsaber lay a few feet away, the blade still ignited. With the blaster in your face, you knew you’d lost. You stared up at the Mandalorian with frightened eyes, chest heaving as you tried to appease your starving lungs.

“Remind me to never take a pulse rifle to the chest again.” you coughed.

When the Mandalorian lowered his weapon, you let your head collapse back against the ground. With a defeated sigh, you closed your eyes as tears threatened to spill.

You’d lost.

You heard your lightsaber de-ignite, making you peel your eyes open. The Mandalorian stood above you, his hand outstretched to help you off the ground. Confusion passed over your features, before you agreed to take his hand. You dusted yourself off and de-tangled your legs from the grappling line, and immediately cringed when your fingers brushed over a blaster wound.

Blood began to spread over your pants, making a deep red stain bloom on your calf. The Mandalorian noticed your darkening pants, and went to move forwards to help you. You held out your hand to stop him, not trusting his actions or intentions. Tearing off part of the cloth that made up the lower third of your pants, you made a make-shift tourniquet to staunch the bleeding.

Thunder rumbled across the sky, and lightning bounces off the Mandalorian’s helmet as you stand up to face him. With a soft, defeated sigh you and the Mandalorian make your way back to Kuiil and the baby nearest the hut. The Mandalorian returned your lightsaber to you, much to your surprise. You would have thought the bounty hunter would have kept such a sought after weapon.

You helped Kuiil round up a blurrg, and attached her to a trailer, which you hope will be full of parts for the Mandalorian’s spacecraft after you find the Jawas. You set off once everything was ready to go. The Mandalorian rode on the trailer with you and the baby was in it’s closed bassinet, while Kuiil rode on the blurrg, guiding her across the desert.

Rain beats down upon you all, drenching your clothes and nearly washes the path away. The Mandalorian doesn’t seem to mind, for his armor keeps him mostly dry. Kuiil’s coat keeps him relatively dry too, which makes you envious. Your thin cargo pants soak up the rainwater, making the fabric cling to your skin. You shivered inside of your cloak, and promised yourself never to take advantage of the warmth the sun gave you ever again.

By morning, your clothes had dried, and you’d found the Jawas and their moving fortress. With a sharp crack of your knuckles, you rolled your neck and hopped off the trailer.

Kuiil greeted the Jawas in a friendly manner, which you rolled your eyes at. The Jawas didn’t take too kindly to strangers, or friends for that matter. You were one of the only people on Arvala-7 that the Jawas tolerated. And ‘tolerated’ was being kind. The Jawas ran around and around, shouting in Jawaese, aiming their own weapons at you as you all approached.

“They really don’t like you for some reason.” Kuiil stated.

“Well I did disintegrate a few of them.” the Mandalorian replied.

You laughed at that. You couldn’t help it. The way he said it, so calm and factual made you burst out in laughter.

“Well that will do it.” you said knocking the Mandalorian’s beskar clad shoulder with the back of your hand.

“M'um m'aloo!”  **_hello!_ ** you smiled at the Jawas as you greeted them. In all of your five years of living here on Arvala-7, the Jawas had become friendlier with you. They were still lying, cheating, stealing little fuckers, but they were nicer to you than most people on this planet. And you liked them, they were funny when they weren’t trying to steal your lightsaber or sabotage Kuiil’s farming equipment. 

The Jawas demanded that the Mandalorian drop his weapons.

“You need to drop your rifle.” Kuiil instructed the Mandalorian.

“I’m a Mandalorian. Weapons are part of my religion.” Despite yourself, you knew exactly how the Mandalorian felt. Your lightsaber meant everything to you, and if you had to give it up you’d be lost without it. Something would be missing from your person - something extremely valuable and sacred to you. But still, you knew how the Jawas operated.

“Then you’re not getting your shit back.” you replied. You spun around to face the baby as he stood on the trailer watching the Jawas. You stroked one of his long green ears, making him purr. This little green creature fascinated you, and if you had the time in the near future you were going to figure out what it was and how it was so strong with the Force.

The Mandalorian sighed, before reluctantly agreeing. “Fine.”

He set the pulse rifle down, before hopping off the trailer as well. The Jawas muttered something about all of the Mandalorian’s weapons.

“And the blaster.” Kuiil stated. The Mandalorian and Kuiil shared a look. You laughed a little at the bounty hunter, as you strolled past him, walking with the Jawas to their stolen things. You made sure to keep your hand wrapped over your lightsaber, just in case the Jawas greedy gloved fingers tried to snatch it from you.

“Good day!” you said in English, before switching to Jawaese. The Jawas waited until the Mandalorian was completely unarmed before telling you he was cleared to approach them.

“Come here, bounty hunter!” you beckoned him forwards.

Several Jawas, the Mandalorian, Kuiil and yourself sat down on a large open blanket, and began discussing a deal to get back the parts for the Mandalorian’s ship. You listened to their request, and couldn’t stop yourself from gasping at what they wanted to trade for.

“They’ll trade you all your parts for the beskar.” you translated, shocked. He’d never do that. Mandalorians and beskar were like Jedi and lightsabers.

“I’m not gonna trade anything. These are my parts. And they stole them from me.” stated the Mandalorian, annoyance and anger clear in his tone.

The Jawa retorted, speaking about how he’d left his ship unattended.

“They… they… belong… to me!” the Mandalorian spoke in broken Jawaese.

The Jawas laughed at him, making you bite back a laugh as well. Jawaese was hard to learn, so you weren’t going to be too hard on the Mandalorian. It had taken you years to learn and perfect your Jawaese. 

“You speak terrible Jawa. You sound like a Wookie.” spoke the leader of the Jawas, to the Mandalorian in Jawaese.

“Hey! Omu`sata!”  **_Shut up!_ ** you scolded the Jawa.

“You understand this?” snapped the Mandalorian, seconds before he thrust his vambrace forwards, a wall of flames blasting towards the Jawas seated in front of you.

“No!” Kuiil shouted. “Whoa! Easy, easy.” Kuiil calmed the Mandalorian down, as the Jawas situated themselves again. 

The leader looked at you again. You hardened your expression, not wanting to jinx the Mandalorian’s chances.

“We will trade for nothing less than his armor.” spoke the leader you were bargaining with. 

“He is a Mandalorian. He cannot give you his beskar armor. What else may he trade?” you asked in Jawaese. 

The leader stood up, and pointed to the baby in the trailer. You all turned, and saw two Jawas studying the little green creature.

“Get away from it!” the Mandalorian snapped again. The two Jawas scampered away, muttering about how weird the little creature was.

“Surely there is something else.” you asked again.

The Jawa’s head looked down at your lightsaber, before snapping its gaze back to your face. A snarl pulled at the edge of your lips.

“ _ No _ . We’ve discussed this. What else can  _ he _ trade for it?” you snarled, tightening your hand around your saber.

The Jawa turned to its comrades, and began whispering. You leaned forwards, trying to listen to their conversation as the Mandalorian watched you. He’d never seen someone with such a devotion to a weapon. Sure he’d been attached to his own weapons, but they were replaceable if it came down to it. But you - you and your laser sword were connected to each other in a way the Mandalorian could only begin to understand.

The Jawas turned back to you. 

“We require the Egg. Bring us the Egg.”

You saw Kuiil sigh and rub his eyes. Your shoulders slumped as you stared at the Jawas with a displeased expression. And for a brief and fleeting second, you thought of giving up your lightsaber to be done with this awful mess.

“The Egg? What Egg?” Asked the Mandalorian.

“The Egg! The Egg! The Egg! The Egg! The Egg! The Egg!” the Jawas chanted gleefully. 

You sighed again as you looked at the Mandalorian. You opened your mouth to speak, but then looked down at your lightsaber. Maybe… maybe you should give it to the Jawas, and save the Mandalorian’s life. But you’d never been a day without your lightsaber, and giving it up was like giving up a child. But you could -

“No. What’s the egg?” the Mandalorian cut through your thoughts.

“It’s a literal egg guarded by a beast. It’s like a half day's drive in the Sandcrawler.” you said. You’d never encountered the beast, thankfully, but you had heard stories and you had heard it's vicious roars late at night when the planet grew quiet when the sun had set behind the horizon line. 

“Okay.” agreed the Mandalorian.

“You’ll die! No one has come back, and believe me dozens have tried.” you argued with the bounty hunter.

He stood up, ignoring your protests. The Jawas cheered and began scrambling to get their stolen and bartered objects back within their Sandcrawler. You followed suit, walking up the long ramp, before maneuvering your way to the cockpit of the Sandcrawler.

The Mandalorian had to hunch over to fit inside the cockpit, which only added to the Jawas teasings of the bounty hunter. The baby sat between the two of you, as the Sandcrawler rolled over the terrain, not bothering to slow down for bumps and hills. Each dip or dive sent the Mandalorian slamming into the roof of the Sandcrawler, making the Jawas - and yourself - laugh.

The half day drive took far less time than you were expecting it too. The Mandalorian, Kuiil, the Child and yourself stood at the threshold of the ramp, looking down on the valley that contained the beast and the Egg.

The walk alone would take another couple of hours. The Mandalorian and the Child started down the ramp, leaving you with Kuiil and the Jawas. As the Mandalorian began his trek, you couldn’t help but feel panic rise in your stomach. It had many years since you felt such a strong warning flood through you. You glanced down at Kuiil.

“I have a horrible feeling.” you stated, looking a little scared.

“Then perhaps you could aid the Mandalorian.” Kuiil suggested.

“But…” you began to protest, but found nothing to really protest about.

“Go.” Kuiil said, looking out at the Mandalorian’s shrinking figure.

“Kuiil.” you stated.

“I have spoken.” he said. And then you ran down the ramp after the Mandalorian.

You caught up to the Mandalorian and the Child a few minutes later, huffing and puffing. When the bounty hunter heard you approaching, he turned his helmet to look at you. You said nothing, and continued to follow the Mandalorian and the Child through and across the desert.

When you arrived at the bottom of the valley, that bad feeling rose in you.

“Mandalorian.” you warned, gaining his attention.

“Hmm?” he grunted.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

“It’ll be fine.” the Mandalorian tried to reassure you. 

The three of you approached the cave entrance, and stood before it. You watched from the corner of your eye as the bounty hunter checked and counted his weapons.

“Listen, I know you don’t trust me, but I have a seriously bad feeling about this.” you repeated. Something was going to go very wrong in the next couple of minutes, you were certain of it. 

The Mandalorian said nothing. He drew his blaster and then walked into the cave. The baby whimpered beside you as the Mandalorian disappeared into the dark. You gently gave the Child your finger to hold, which he gladly grabbed onto.

You waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And then you heard the Mandalorian’s blaster go off. And then the beast inside the cave roared in anger. Seconds later, the Mandalorian was thrown out of the cave, and landed in the mud with a pained groan. Your mouth dropped open, and your eyes widened. You wanted to move forwards to help him, but the baby’s grip on your hand tightened, keeping you from leaving his side. 

The beast emerged from the cave. It’s gigantic horn came into view first and then its massive, mud-caked body emerged too. The beast was a Mudhorn. The Mandalorian struggled to sit up, disoriented from being tossed about like a ragdoll.

You watched as the Mandalorian struggled to his feet, and brought the pulse rifle up to shoot at the Mudhorn. The Mudhorn roared again, and began to charge at the Mandalorian. The pulse rifle failed to charge, to fire, and to protect the Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian collided with the Mudhorn and was sent flying through the air before crash landing in the mud, his pulse rifle landing far away from him. You could hear - you could feel - just how badly the landing hurt. You grimaced and sucked in a breath through your teeth.

The baby cried beside you, gaining the attention of the Mudhorn. In a moment of panic, you froze. The Mudhorn charged at you and the baby, and just when you thought the Mudhorn was going to hit the baby, the bassinet moved. You - on the other hand - did not move. Or you did but not by your own volition. The Mudhorn collided with you, and sent you flying backwards into the sand dunes behind you. You cried out, your back colliding with yet another rock in the ground.

The Mudhorn spun around and refocused its attention on the Mandalorian. The scene before you blurred as your head spun. Maybe you hit your head when the Mudhorn rammed into you. The Mandalorian was being crushed to death by the Mudhorn when your vision cleared again.

_ No.  _ your heart clenched. 

And then he was being dragged around by the Mudhorn, his grappling line getting stuck beneath the Mudhorn’s hide. You dropped off the sand dune, and ran towards the baby. The Mandalorian tried -  _ he really did  _ \- to stop the Mudhorn from pulling him along. The Mudhorn spun around, and sent the Mandalorian sailing through the air again. He hit the ground with such ferocity you were certain you felt his life flicker through the Force.

One minute he was there - strong, present, and there. And then the next he was less there, less present, not as strong as you knew he could be.

The Mandalorian sat up, and struggled to his knees. You could feel him struggling to stay up right, to stay conscious. You watched with bated breath, as the beast roared before you. The Mudhorn smashed its horn into the ground, egging the Mandalorian on. The Mandalorian tried to grab his knife, but found the knife to be jammed or bent or something, making it impossible to remove from his side. Your hands moved on their own, detaching your lightsaber from your hip holster as you watched the Mudhorn paw at the muddy ground.

“Mandalorian!” you called, gaining his attention for a moment. The Mudhorn charged.

The Mandalorian caught your lightsaber, and nearly dropped it in his weakened state. He weakly raised the lightsaber, and lowered his head. You could feel him giving up.

As the Mudhorn got closer, something strange happened. It charged, and then it stopped advancing as it was held back by an unknown force. By  _ the _ Force - you realized. You looked down at yourself to double check that you weren’t the one using the Force, and found you weren’t the one doing it.

The baby’s hand was outstretched, holding the Mudhorn back so the Mandalorian could finish it off. The Mudhorn rose in the air as it roared and wailed, trying to finish all three of you off.

Stumbling to his feet, the Mandalorian stared up at the beast, before looking back at you and the Child. The Mudhorn sprung free, startling the Mandalorian. In his surprised state, the Mandalorian stabbed the Mudhorn with your lightsaber, killing it. The bounty hunter and the Mandalorian crashed to the muddy ground, ending their battle.

You focused on the Child. He lay in his cot, completely passed out from over exertion. Using your own energy, you raised a hand and checked over the baby for any injuries. When you found none, you sent some of your life force to the baby to help him recover faster.

The Mandalorian got to his feet, and drove your saber deeper into the Mudhorn’s neck, before twisting the blade to remove it. Holding your lightsaber at his side, the Mandalorian slowly turned around to look at you and the Child. He slowly limped towards you and the baby. Looking down at the sleeping green goblin, the Mandalorian remained quiet.

“He saved your life.” you panted, while lowering your hand. You could feel yourself getting colder, and probably looked more tired than normal. Sharing Life Force between species was always a complicated and draining matter, and was rarely done. 

The Mandalorian looked over to you.

“He’s just asleep. He used all of his energy, so I gave him mine.” you added.

The Mandalorian limped away from you, heading back towards the cave. Minutes later he returned with the Egg that the Jawas wanted.

The walk back to the Sandcrawler took a little longer, due to the fact that everyone in your little part of three was wounded and weak. Just as you were cresting over the ridge, you noticed the Jawas packing up to leave Kuiil behind.

“Mando! Y/N!” exclaimed Kuiil.

“I have it.” spoke the Mandalorian as you all got closer to the Sandcrawler.

“I got the Egg.”

The Jawas cheered, as they scrambled down the ramp and took the Egg from the Mandalorian’s grasp. The leader of the Jawas raised the Egg up above its head as the other Jawas cheered. With one swipe of its machete, the Jawa leader cracked open the Egg and ate the contents from inside.

You turned away, and held your breath, trying not to vomit. You and the Mandalorian moved over to Kuiil, and waited for the Jawas to finish their weird meal/celebration.

“I’m surprised you waited.” the Mandalorian spoke.

“I’m surprised you took so long.” replied Kuiil.

You laughed again, knocking your shoulder against the Mandalorian’s beskar shoulder piece. He looked down at you as a bright and amused smile etched itself onto your face. The Mandalorian wouldn’t admit it - even to himself - but he was glad to see you weren’t as tired looking as you had been a few hours ago. When you’d given your energy to the baby, he’d seen your energy drain away, making you look like the embodiment of death. 

The Jawas came through with their promise, and returned every single piece of the Mandalorian’s ship. The journey back to the Mandalorian’s ship was long, and tiring, and you were glad you didn’t have to walk the entire way home. You leaned against the tower of metal bits, lightly dozing as the blurrg carried you all home.

The bounty hunter focused on the baby as it slept next to you. He still couldn’t believe the baby saved his life, and he couldn’t believe you saved his life as well, even when he was going to turn you over to the Client when his ship was back in order.

“Is it still sleeping?” asked Kuiil.

“Yes.” replied the Mandalorian.

“Was it injured?”

“I don’t think so. Not physically.” the Mandalorian answered.

“Explain it to me again. I still don’t understand what happened.” Kuiil said.

“Neither do I.”

“Did Y/N understand it?” Kuiil asked.

“I’m not sure. She said she gave him her energy, but I don’t know what that means.” replied the Mandalorian.

“When she wakes you must ask her. She does not use her powers for just anyone. Not anymore at least.” Kuiil said.

The Mandalorian hummed in thought.

“And she does not share her lightsaber. You must be… important to her.” Kuiil said.

The Mandalorian said nothing as he stared down at you, before turning his gaze to the setting sun. The journey home was long and quiet, which no one seemed to mind. You slept nearly the whole way, only stirring when you felt the Mandalorian’s eyes on you.

Back at the Mandalorian’s ship, your eyes widened at the state of disarray the ship was in. The Jawas really did a number on it. You slipped from the trailer, and walked under the ship’s helm, studying the wreckage.

“Is this… pre-Empire?” you gawked. You’d only heard of these kinds of ships before.

“ _ Razor Crest _ .” the Mandalorian confirmed.

“It’s beautiful. I can only imagine what it looks like when it's… not like this.” you said, hoping you weren’t offending him or his spacecraft.

“There’s no way we’re gonna get this to work without a full maintenance facility. This is gonna take days to fix.” commented the Mandalorian as Kuiil turned on a work light, illuminating the surrounding area in stark white light.

“If you care to help it might go faster.” Kuiil teased the Mandalorian. 

“Kuiil do you need any help?” you asked, looking down at all of the random parts to the ship. You had no idea where to begin.

“Not that kind of help.” Kuiil said.

“But I can…” you began.

“I have spoken.” he stated.

And so you all set to work, without the help of your Force powers. The three of you worked through the night, working to repair the  _ Razor Crest. _ By the time the sun began to rise, your body ached, and your mind begged you to find somewhere to sleep.

“I cannot thank you enough.” the Mandalorian said, mostly to Kuiil.

“Please allow me to give you a portion of the reward.”

“I cannot accept. You are my guest and I am therefore in your service.” Kuiil said, moving to finish packing his bag.

“I could use a crew member of your ability, and I can pay handsomely.”

“I am honored, but I have worked a lifetime to finally be free of servitude.”

“I understand. Then all I can offer is my thanks.” the Mandalorian said, moving towards you. 

“And I offer mine. Thank you for bringing peace to my valley.” Kuiil said, before nodding at the Mandalorian. He moved down the ramp way, walking back towards his blurrg.

Cuffs clicked closed over your wrists, making your gaze snap up to his helmet.

“Hey.” you gasped.

“We had an agreement.” replied the bounty hunter. “And a deal is a deal.” 

“And good luck with the Child! May it survive and bring you a handsome reward.“ said Kuiil as he sat atop the blurrg.

“Take care Y/N. I have spoken.” Kuiil said.

The bounty hunter forced you up the ladder and into the cockpit. The cockpit was spacious, which surprised you. From the ground the cockpit didn’t look big at all. It looked like there was barely enough room for the Mandalorian to sit comfortably inside. But there was enough room for you, the bounty hunter, and then two other people to fit comfortably.

Seconds later he followed you with the Child tucked safely in his cot. The Mandalorian had you sit in the chair to the left of the pilots seat, and maneuvered the Child’s bassinet to rest in another chair on the right.

The Mandalorian sat in the pilot’s seat, and fired up the  _ Razor Crest _ . The space ship shot off into the sky, breaking the atmosphere, and into the vast darkness of space. You were quiet for a while, taking in the dark sky that now surrounded you. It had been years since you were in space, and the beauty of it got to you every time.

The Mandalorian turned in his seat, looking back at the Child. With an extended hand, the bounty hunter gently jostled the cot, trying to wake the little guy. When the baby didn’t move, the bounty hunter shook the cot a little harder.

“Hey.” you whispered softly.

The Mandalorian looked over at you.

“He’s sleeping. How would you like it if someone violently shook you awake?” you asked, gesturing to the hand on the baby’s crib with your own cuffed hands.

The Mandalorian held your gaze for a moment, before turning around to focus on piloting the  _ Razor Crest _ . Soft coos from the baby caught both of your attention, making you smile at the green gremlin. After checking over the Child, the three of you fell into silence as the Mandalorian piloted the  _ Razor Crest _ through space.

*

At some point you fell asleep, your mind slipping into fitful dreams. You dreamed of the Mudhorn impaling you with its horn. You dreamed of the Jawas ripping you limb from limb. You dreamed of the Mandalorian impaling you with your own lightsaber.

You awoke with a start, the Mandalorian’s hand on your shoulder. You inhaled rather shakily, as you met his gaze. The bounty hunter could see the fear in your eyes as you came out of your slumber. He could see how you shrank beneath him, nearly cowering away from his touch. And then he saw you come back to the here and the now.

“Bad dreams.” you breathed out.

“Come.” the Mandalorian said.

You followed the Mandalorian blindly through the  _ Razor Crest _ , moving down to the lower cargo hold. You stood next to the bounty hunter, your hands in shackles. The tiny portable cot positioned behind you, the lid closed so the tiny green gremlin inside couldn’t get out.

The bounty hunter stood before the carbonite chamber, punching in a few minor alterations, getting the device ready to freeze you. You stared at the other bounties that had been stashed away. Their faces were frozen in horrific expressions, some of them looked pained and fearful, others were angry and hard to read.

“Is it going to hurt?” you asked, your voice sounding sad and small and scared.

The Mandalorian’s helmet shifted in your direction slightly. He could hear how frightened you were. Being frozen in carbonite was never a pleasant experience, and in worse cases some unlucky victims got carbon sickness which left them weak and vulnerable for hours or even days after being thawed out.

“I’m not sure.” the bounty hunter admitted, turning to face you completely.

You swallowed, your nerves getting the better of you. Part of you wished you put up more of a fight, but another part of you realized this was inevitable. The bounty hunter would have caught you eventually. Or another one would have, and they probably wouldn’t have taken you alive.

“Can… Can you make sure my lightsaber goes with me? I’ve never been without it.” you admitted. Your cuffed hands itched to hold the metal hilt. You’d never been without your lightsaber, the vicious laser sword had been with you since you were young… since you built it from scratch.

The Mandalorian said nothing. He grabbed your bicep, and pulled you towards him and the carbonite chamber. You knew resisting was futile, so you let the bounty hunter man handle you. He maneuvered you to stand below the blast nozzles, and as he reached towards the button to freeze you, he hesitated.

With an annoyed grumble, the Mandalorian pulled out of the carbonite chamber.

“Don’t do anything. You’re going to sit here until we get to Nevarro.” he stated.

Your eyes widened in fear. Who on Nevarro wanted you? What did they want with you?

“Who gave you the bounty?” you asked, forgetting how to breathe. Your eyes widened almost comically. 

“A Client.” came his reply.

“Do you know what they want with us?” you asked.

The Mandalorian was silent, staring at you - or at least you thought. The T shaped visor didn’t help in pinpointing where his eyes were. Perhaps he was a droid after all.

“No.” came his simple reply.

“Stay here.” the Mandalorian said, before disappearing into some unknown depths of his ship. You stood in place, watching the doorway he slipped through. The tiny bassinet popped open, revealing the tiny green gremlin again.

“Hi cutie.” you smiled at the little guy. He cooed up at you, taking in his surroundings on the  _ Razor Crest. _ The Mandalorian’s footsteps caught your attention. He looked between you and the kid as he stepped back into the room.

“I thought I told you to stay.” he scolded you.

“I didn’t open it. He did.” you stated, an innocently shocked look passing over your features.

“Mhhmm” mumbled the bounty hunter.

“Here.” he said, crouching before you.

Your eyes widened as the Mandalorian knelt before you. Something stirred within you as you watched the ruthless mercenary kneel before you. It awoke something dark and dirty within you as you watched the Mandalorian on his knees.

His gloved fingers removed the dirty strip of cloth from your calf with such gentleness you weren’t sure this man was capable of. He ran a warm wet cloth over the healing wound, removing dried blood and earth from your skin. And once the Mandalorian deemed your wound clean enough, he ripped open a bacta wipe and pressed it over your wound. You hissed in pain, the cool gel substance of the wipe smearing over the raw wound, igniting pain through your nerves.

“Sorry.” the Mandalorian apologized, rubbing his thumb along the side of your calf in a comforting manner.

“It’s fine.” you replied, focusing on anything but the brutal sting that throbbed in your leg.

Moments later, the Mandalorian wrapped your leg with a strip of fabric from his cape. As the Mandalorian finished typing the knot, you noticed how his gloved fingers lingered slightly against your skin.

The baby gurgled in delight as he watched the Mandalorian care for you. The Mandalorian turned his helmet to look at the kid. It giggled at him, and suddenly the Mandalorian was thankful for his mask, for it hid the small smile that spread across his lips.

Your cuffed hands came to rest on the Mandalorian’s shoulder. He turned his mask upwards to look at you. 

“Thank you.” you whispered. You hadn’t meant to whisper, but the thought of speaking louder didn’t sit right with you. You could feel his shoulder tense under your touch, making you hastily retract your hands.

The Mandalorian wished he hadn’t tensed up. He saw your recognition of his uncomfortable-ness and immediately removed your hands from him. When in reality, the Mandalorian was seeking more of your touch, even if it was through his clothes.You fascinated him, and after being covered from head to toe in armor for most of his life, he secretly craved physical contact more than he realized or would let on.

And then you thanked him - something which rarely happened to the bounty hunter. Usually people ran from him, begged for freedom or forgiveness, spat curses at him, never thanking him. But you did, and it ignited something within the Mandalorian’s chest. 

He nodded at your words, before coming to stand.

“We’ll be on Nevarro soon. My quarters are in there, feel free to sleep if you’d like.” he stated, gesturing to a decently sized bunk placed in the siding along the wall.

The Mandalorian and the Child returned to the cockpit, leaving you alone. 

A dozen questions swirled through your mind as you sat down beside the ladder, unable to bring yourself back up to the cockpit or even to the Mandalorian’s sleeping quarters. With an exhausted sigh, you leaned your head back against the cold metal of the ladder, letting your mind go blank.

Who had put out a bounty on your head? What did they want with you? What did they want with the Child? What awaited you on Nevarro? 


	2. Chapter 2: Not in the Slightest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mandalorian hands over his bounties, but as he begins to leave Nevarro he has a change of heart. And so begins your life on the run with the Mandalorian and the Child. Now all you have to do is convince the Mandalorian to keep you around, and not kill you. At least not before more bounty hunters get to you. 
> 
> Warnings: violence, involuntary drug use, medical mumbo jumbo  
> word count 10,215

The Jedi ascended the ladder, and made her way into the cockpit to speak to the Mandalorian. She needed answers to the many questions she had bouncing around inside her head after the Mandalorian and the Child had left her alone in the cargo hold.

“Are you really going to give the Child over to whoever set our bounties?” you asked as you came to stand behind the Mandalorian. The cockpit was colder than the hull of the ship, and you wished you had stayed down there where it was slightly warmer. It made you wonder if the Mandalorian sucked all the fun and heat out of the air when he walked into a room. You wouldn’t be surprised, what with his cold and harsh demeanor. 

“Yes.” was his only reply.

“He’s a baby.”

“It’s 50 years old,” he stated.

“It’s just a baby.”

“So?”

“He’s defenseless and innocent.”

“It’s a bounty. Let it go.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

The Mandalorian swiveled in his seat to face you, the swiftness of the motion startled you. You stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over the edge of the co-pilot’s seat, which housed the sleeping baby’s cot, and shrunk in on yourself, making you a smaller target for the Mandalorian to hit. Your first thought was that the Mandalorian was going to hit you, but when you cautiously dared to glance up at him, you saw he’d only turned to look at you.

Steadying yourself, you snapped your mouth shut, sensing you’d crossed a line with the ruthless bounty hunter about how he conducted business - especially Guild business. Your eyes moved over his helmet, searching for somewhere to look since his eyes were shielded from view.

You held his gaze, and challenged the bounty hunter to do something -  _ anything _ . Going to Nevarro to be handed over to someone unknown to you felt wrong, like you were a prize to be won instead of an actual human being. Sure you had agreed to go with the bounty hunter if he beat you in your duel, but you hadn’t actually thought about what you were betting when you struck the bargain.

Now you were beginning to regret your choice.

Your confidence faltered, making you cast your eyes to the floor of the ship as guilt ate away at your chest. You blinked several times, as you clenched your jaw. Even if you hated your current situation, you were going to go through with the deal you had made. There’d be a chance to escape later. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to cause any problems for you, I just… if I were still a kid I wouldn’t want to be dropped off with strangers again.”

The Mandalorian said nothing as he continued to stare at you. 

He turned back to face the front of the ship, continuing to pilot the  _ Razor Crest _ to Nevarro. You sank down into the seat behind him, and tucked your legs beneath yourself, making yourself small and unnoticeable. The Mandalorian let your words wander through his head making him wonder about your past.  _ Dropped off with strangers again _ … what the  _ kriff _ did that mean? Rolling his tense shoulders, the Mandalorian pushed you from his thoughts - the Guild had a no questions asked policy for a reason, and Mando was going to follow it, no matter how curious he might have been about you and the Child. 

*

You walked behind the Mandalorian and the Child, walking towards the marketplace on Nevarro. Dozens of eyes followed you, watching as you walked behind the Mandalorian with your hands shackled in front of you. You did your best to hide the metal cuff bound around your wrists, but they knew. Of course they knew you were a bounty. The Mandalorian was a bounty hunter for Sith’s sake. Many of them were surprised to see that you were not cast in carbonite like many of the other Mandalorian’s bounties had been. 

The Child gurgled in his cot, curious about his new surroundings. You were too, but you were more concerned with staying alert and alive at the moment. If you weren’t here against your will, you’d have thought Nevarro to be a ruggedly beautiful planet. You weren’t necessarily fond of the heat from the lava plains or the sun beating down on you, but you enjoyed the beauty of the glowing lava streams and dark volcanic rocks. 

You weaved your way through the city, following the Mandalorian as he led you deeper and deeper through the streets, towards the person who’d issued a bounty for your head. As you descended a small staircase, a wave of nausea hit you. You stopped mid-step, catching the Mandalorian’s attention. He turned toward you and looked up at you on the steps, annoyance radiating outwards from him.

“I have a bad feeling.” you breathed, looking down at him. Your chest felt tight, and your shoulders felt heavy and tense. 

“Come on.” he replied, not trusting you - not that you blamed him.

He stopped before a closed metal door, and banged three times. A second later, after he stepped backwards, a security droid - a TT-8L model, also known as a tattletale droid - stuck its head out from inside the wall. Your droid speak was rusty - very rusty - so you didn’t understand what the droid was asking the bounty hunter for, but you had guessed the tattletale droid had asked for some form of identification. The Mandalorian raised two chit cards - one for you and one for the Child - and waited as the tattletale droid scanned them before it disappeared inside the wall again.

The door slid open, and two stormtroopers stepped outside. You held your breath as the realization of who set a bounty on your head became clear and apparent. Your entire being braced, ready to run but you found yourself frozen in place.

_ The Imperial Empire _ \- whatever was left of it - had come for you. You had avoided them for so long, and now everything was coming to an end. You would surely die here on Nevarro. And now they had you, one of the last remaining known Force-wielding beings in the entire galaxy. 

_ Now it has two. _ whispered something in your mind. Your gaze dropped down to the Child. His ears were back, and his face gave away how you were feeling: terrified and unsure.

The stormtroopers ignored your presence entirely, and stared at the green Child inside it’s cot. You shifted yourself to stand before the baby, an unknown feeling of the need to protect the child ghosted over your skin. Their helmets snapped upwards when your body blocked their view of the little creature. The stormtroopers looked from you to the Mandalorian, the tension in the air rising at an alarming rate. A beat passed, before one of the stormtroopers motioned for you all to follow him into the compound. You looked to the Mandalorian, unsure if you should follow after the stormtroopers. He nodded slightly, which forced you to walk into the compound.

Inside a darkly lit hallway, one of the stormtroopers grabbed the Child’s cot, and tugged on it. It jostled the Child around slightly, making your temper flare. You moved closer to the stormtrooper, and raised your bound hands to shove against his arm to get him to let go of the cot. But a gloved hand caught your elbow, keeping you from doing anything to help aid the Child.

“Easy with that.” the Mandalorian stated, as his hand squeezed your elbow, warning you to be careful.

“You take it easy.” snapped the stormtrooper.

Another door slid open, revealing a larger room, where there sat at a table. In the center of said room was the Client, and another skinny twig of a man, waiting for you all. The giant gold Imperial medallion on the Client’s chest caught your attention first. His pristine clothing caught your attention next. Whoever this man was - he was well respected, and high amongst the chain of command. Or at least he was when the Galactic Empire ruled the galaxy.

The Client rose, two tracking fobs in his hand, beeping wildly.

“Yes.” he praised, stalking closer to the baby and yourself.

The Client shoved one beeping tracking fob in the KId’s face, before doing the same with yours, making you recoil from him. A snarl of disgust tugged at your lips. You tugged at your restraints, hoping they’d break. When they didn’t you stepped backwards slightly to put some distance between yourself and the man who had put out a bounty on you.

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.” the Client beamed. You glared at his aura - a dozen slate gray cones hovered around the Client, trying to mask the look of disgust that pinched at your eyebrows and made your eyes darken. The Client’s aura revealed much about him, as did every aura you saw. This man was not a good man, and one you would be wary of. Whatever lay ahead in your future was not going to be good. 

The other man, Dr. Pershing with his aquamarine ink splatter aura, approached the Child before drawing out a device from his lab coat. Dr. Pershing scanned the Child, before shifting to scan you as well. A bright red light filled your vision, making you recoil, but a stormtrooper stood behind you stopping you instantly.

“Very healthy.” he commented, his tone making your skin crawl. You nearly gagged when the Doctor’s eyes roamed over your body with an almost hungry fervor. The Client rose, and looked at the Mandalorian.

“Your reputation was not unwarranted.”

“How many fobs did you give out? For both of them?” the Mandalorian asked.

“These assets were of extreme importance to me. I had to ensure their delivery.” the Client said, moving back towards his desk. The doctor continued to look at the Child, taking in the little guy’s wrinkly green skin, his large brown eyes, his tiny gray hairs. He would have plenty of time to study your body in depth later. 

“But to the winner…” he began, before setting a heavy container on the surface. “...go the spoils.” 

The Client opened the container, revealing nearly 20 bars of pure beskar. You couldn’t stop your mouth from falling open. You and the Child were worth  _ that _ much?

The Mandalorian moved closer to the beskar pile, before cautiously taking some in his hands. He held it gingerly, afraid it would disappear before his very eyes.

“Such a large bounty for such a small package.” the Client remarked.

The Child, Dr. Pershing and yourself began towards another door, which led deeper into the compound. The baby began crying, looking at the Mandalorian as his cot pulled him away, making your steps falter. The doctor put his hand on your back, shoving you forwards. You stalled, looking back at the Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian grabbed your laser sword from his hip, and extended it towards Dr. Pershing, keeping his promise to you from earlier - he would not let you go without your lightsaber. 

“Keep it. She won’t be needing such a weapon anymore.” the Client said.

Your eyes widened in panic, as your lungs clamped down over your heart. You were going to be without your saber?

“What?!” you whimpered. “No!”

You moved towards the Mandalorian, wanting to take your lightsaber from his outstretched hand, but Dr. Pershing’s hand wrapped around your biceps and roughly yanked you backwards, before hauling you towards the door, taking you away from your lightsaber and the Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian looked down at the lightsaber in his grasp. He had no use for such a weapon - he preferred his blasters - but discarding this weapon would prove to be a terrible idea, especially if someone dangerous got a hold of it. The Mandalorian tucked the laser sword into his belt, before looking back at the Client.

“What are your plans for them?” the Mandalorian asked.

“How uncharacteristic of one of your reputation.” commented the Client. “You have taken both commission and payment.”

Another set of doors opened, revealing more stormtroopers as they entered the room.

“Is it not the Code of the Guild that these events are now forgotten?”

The Mandalorian tracked the stormtroopers as they moved through the room.

“That beskar is enough to make a handsome replacement for your armor. Unfortunately, finding a Mandalorian in these trying times is more difficult than finding the steel.” spoke the Client.

The Mandalorian returned the two pieces of beskar that he held to their stack, and sealed the container. He gave the Client one last look, before leaving the compound.

*

You were shoved into a room, where a stormtrooper ordered you to change into a medical gown. At first you refused, and then the stormtrooper’s fist cracked across your jaw. You refused again, and the heel of his boot met your ribcage. When you refused a third time, the stormtrooper threatened the Child.

You changed as fast as you could. The medical gown was two sizes too small for you, and made you feel disgusting and violated. It stopped mid-thigh, barely covering the things you wanted to keep hidden from prying, peeping eyes. The stormtrooper that physically beat you gathered all of your clothes, leaving you vulnerable, alone and afraid inside the small windowless broom closet you were locked inside of. Sobs and little yelps of pain could be heard beyond the door you were trapped behind. 

You could hear the Child crying in a room down the hallway, which made your heart ache. What was Dr. Pershing doing to him? You banged and banged against the door to your cell-like room, trying to desperately get out and get to the baby to comfort him.

Hours could have passed, maybe even days, before Dr. Pershing, and two armed stormtroopers stepped into your cell. You immediately stood from the dirty ground, your brain on high alert.

“Where is he?” you demanded.

“Who? The Asset? He’s…asleep.” Dr. Pershing said, but you could tell he was lying, or not telling the full truth.

“What do you want?” you barked, the cold of the room making your skin prickle with goosebumps, and your nipples painfully harden.

“To study you of course! What makes  _ you _ so special? Why do  _ you _ have these powers?” asked Dr. Pershing as he stepped closer to you. His large eyes stared at you through his glasses, studying you like you weren’t human, like you were his to dissect and figure out. 

“I want to know all about the Force.” he whispered, before stepping backwards. He snapped his fingers, and the stormtroopers came to stand beside you, their hands hooking under your arms.

You didn’t have time to think about struggling, before the stormtroopers were dragging you forwards and out of your cell. You thrashed in their grip, as you were pulled down the hallway, and into another room. Your eyes landed on a large table, with the Child placed on top of it. His body didn’t move, except for the soft, steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed - which was the only indication he was okay. You hadn’t been able to see his aura when you first met him, and not being able to see his force signature now made you worry more about his safety. 

“What did you do to him?” you snarled, thrashing against the stormtroopers. You were not going to make their lives easy. Not anymore. Every minute they tried to scan or prick or prod you, you were going to make their lives a living hell. 

The stormtroopers held on to you, and somehow managed to wrestle you onto a similar metal slab. Your wrists were cuffed to the table, as well as your ankles, before the table tilted upwards, making you stand. The cold metal bit into your skin. Dr. Pershing strolled into the room, hands full of various medical supplies and foreign looking tools and instruments. A bright teal liquid filled a jar, catching your attention - that was not a stimulant.

“It took me years to develop this.” Dr. Pershing said, picking up a syringe. Tears welled in your eyes. What was Dr. Pershing going to do to you? Was he going to do the same thing he’d done to the Child? Your questioning look spurred Dr. Pershing to continue speaking.

“This will slow the midi-chlorians in your blood, so I can extract and examine them. I’m going to see what makes you  _ tick _ .” 

You tugged and tugged against your restraints, trying to break free of them physically and with the Force. They wouldn’t budge. Dr. Pershing flicked the syringe, getting rid of the air bubbles that lay inside. He walked closer to you, studying your face.

“What makes you so  _ special _ ?” he muttered to himself before slipping behind you.

You struggled and struggled, trying to break free but nothing happened. The tip of the needle pressed into your lower back, making you freeze.

Dr. Pershing slowly drove the mile long needle into your spine, inching it in slower and slower. You bit down on your tongue as tears slipped down your cheeks and into your hair. The needle slipped into your spine with a jolt, Dr. Pershing having lost his grip for a moment. You whimpered as your lips wobbled.

And then he began injecting the cool teal liquid into your spine, and then you began screaming. You weren't sure if you screamed out loud, or inside your mind, or both. Either way, you were sure the entire galaxy could hear your pain. The pain continued to build, and build and build, before your mind welcomed darkness to escape. 

*

The Mandalorian was just firing up the  _ Razor Crest _ when piercing screams filled his head. He immediately clutched his helmet in his hands. Your cries and whimpers echoed in his mind, tugging at his heartstrings.

**_Aaray_ ** \- the Mando’a word for pain flashed across his mind.

He could feel an intense, pressurized pain in his spine, nearly making his back seize up. He could feel how much pain you were in, how you were trying to fight against it, fighting against crying out, or showing just how weak that mysterious teal liquid made you feel. He saw the briefest of images of the Kid, bathed in a glowing red light, asleep and unmoving on a strange metal table inside his mind. 

And when your screams died down, and only the echoes were in his mind, did the Mandalorian decide then and there that he couldn’t leave you or the Kid behind. He powered down the  _ Razor Crest _ , and walked back into the marketplace on Nevarro. He was coming to get the two of you. 

Damn the Guild and it’s Code.

*

Lights flashed around you as a siren blared. You groggily tried to come to your senses but found yourself heavily drugged, making you feel dazed and confused and tired -  _ so kriffing tired _ .

You were curled up on another table, no longer cuffed to the metal slab where Dr. Pershing had stabbed you in the spine. Your body ached, and each breath hurt to take in. Any minute now, your eyes would slip closed and you might not wake up again. And that thought didn’t scare you like you thought it would.

A stormtrooper stood before you at attention, and with a turn of your head, you could see Dr. Pershing with the Child, strapped to some strange metal contraption that was powering down.

A medical droid hovered above you, with knives and various tools drawn, it’s metal body coming closer to you. It whirred and beeped, ready to slice into you, to draw your blood, and take more samples than your body was willing to give up. The door flew open, revealing the Mandalorian. He shot the stormtrooper square in his chest, killing him instantly. The Mandalorian aimed at Dr. Pershing.

“No, no, no, no. Please. Please. No, no no.” he pleaded.

The Mandalorian shot at the medical droid, the metal ball crashing into the ground, saving your life.

“No. Please.” Dr. Pershing begged. “It’s just a child. Don’t hurt him.”

You whimpered, turning on the table to look at the baby. The Mandalorian stalked closer, checking on the Child. The Mandalorian threw Dr. Pershing out of the way, and kept his blaster trained on the doctor.

“What did you do to it?” asked the bounty hunter.

When Dr. Pershing didn’t answer, the Mandalorian asked again, “What did you do to it?”

“I protected him. I protected them. If it wasn’t for me they’d already be dead.” Dr. Pershing stated.

“Liar.” you breathed out. 

“Please. Please. Please.” the doctor begged, cowering against the wall.

You struggled to keep your eyes open. The Force within you ebbed and flowed through you weakly. You never thought you’d be disconnected to the Force. It had become a part of you, you weren’t sure how to live without it. It was like another limb of yours, one you relied on to keep yourself safe and alive. 

Arms wrapped around your waist, and the Child was shoved into your arms as you were placed on your feet. You stumbled and tripped with every step the Mandalorian took, the floor cold against your bare feet. The hiss of a door opening had the Mandalorian pressing you against the wall with his entire body. What little blood you had left to spare rushed to your cheeks, making you feel hot and flustered. A strange feeling you hadn’t felt in a very long time slithered down your spine, and ignited a small fire within the pit of your stomach. Two stormtroopers walked by, leaving you and the Mandalorian alone with the Child.

When they were gone, the Mandalorian pulled you along, guiding the three of you out of the compound. You barely had time to duck when two more stormtroopers caught sight of you. When you dropped, you were greeted with a ruined rucksack full of your old clothes - probably on their way out to the trash. You shoved the baby into the bag, and slung the straps of the bag over your arms, settling the pouch against your chest.

“Split up. We’ll flush him out.” ordered a stormtrooper.

The world around you spun, and you cradled the Child to your chest. One minute you were hiding behind boxes, and the next you were being surrounded by stormtroopers back inside the compound's lobby area where you first met the Client.

“Freeze! Don’t move.” barked the stormtroopers that surrounded you.

“Hands up. Drop the blaster.” demanded another stormtrooper.

The Mandalorian pulled you into a choke hold - being careful not to actually choke you. With his blaster raised in the air, he tried to bargain with the stormtroopers.

“Wait. What I’m holding is very valuable. Here.” he said, slowly lowering himself and you towards the ground.

With his blaster on the ground, and you on your knees, you waited.

“Now turn and face me.” spoke a stormtrooper. You heard his vambrace power up beneath your chin, and moments later, all of the stormtroopers were dead thanks to the whistling birds he had hidden away. The Mandalorian helped you to your feet, before grabbing his blaster again. He looked at you, waiting to see if you were okay or not. With a shaky nod of your head, the Mandalorian set off again.

Outside the compound, the Mandalorian cautiously moved among the shadows, careful to keep you and the baby out of sight. The cold night air stung as you moved, your skin throbbing as your blood pumped beneath in your veins.

Your feet padded against the ground as hot, wet earth stuck to the bottoms of your feet, squishing between your toes. Your shoes had not been lucky enough to have made it into the bag you’d found of your clothes. You passed the Child and the bag over to the bounty hunter, knowing he’d be safer with someone who wasn’t drugged out of their mind and could properly protect him.

The further the two of you walked through the city, the more people began to follow you. And that terrible feeling you had from earlier, well it was back and threatening to knock you off your already unsteady feet.

“I have a bad feeling.” you whisper-hissed at him through heavy panting breaths.

When you got to the marketplace leading from the center of Nevarro City, you were greeted by a dozen Guild members, their weapons drawn and aimed at you. The Mandalorian slowed to a halt. You stopped beside him, and willed yourself to focus on the here and the now. If you didn’t it would get you killed.

“Ah! Welcome back Mando! Now put the package down.” spoke a man, blocking your exit to the  _ Razor Crest _ . You could see her behind him, just waiting for you to escape on. You looked back at the one person blocking your escape: Greef Karga - the leader of the Guild.

“Your little girlfriend doesn’t look too good Mando.” commented Karga.

You narrowed your eyes at the Guild leader, and swayed on your feet. Your vision blurred as the Guild’s leader walked a few steps closer towards you and the Mandalorian. Chills ran over your exposed skin as an empty feeling filled you. For the briefest of moments the Force that flowed through you was gone. Staring off into space, you frantically searched for your thread to the Force, blindly willing it to come back to you.

“Step aside. I’m going to my ship.” the Mandalorian said.

Karga chuckled. “You put the bounty down and perhaps I’ll let you pass.”

“The kid’s coming with me.” the Mandalorian said. Your chest hurt, knowing the Mandalorian didn’t really care about what happened to you. He cared for the Child, and only the Child. He hadn’t meant to rescue you too, you’d just been in the right place at the right time. 

“If you truly care about the Kid, then you’ll put it on the speeder, and we’ll discuss terms.” Karga said, pointing to a speeder near you. The R3 droid piloting the speeder beeped at you in protest.

“How do I know we can trust you?” asked the Mandalorian. 

“Because I’m your only hope.” Karga replied.

The Mandalorian nodded once at you, motioning you towards the speeder. He slowly followed you, moving closer and closer to the speeder with the Kid tucked in his arm.

The Mandalorian stared down at the baby, thinking that these might be his last seconds alive, and you felt how conflicted the bounty hunter was. With a bit of your fleeting strength and concentration, you pushed your way into the Mandalorian’s guarded mind, and whispered that you would fight with him, for him - even if it meant your death.

He drew his blaster a second later, flipping and spinning the two of you onto the speeder. Blaster shot after blaster shot rang out, hitting the side of the speeder, the walls of the buildings that surrounded you, and off of the shiny new beskar armor attached to the Mandalorian. He tucked the baby safely away, and rolled on top of you.

“Drive.” he snapped at the droid.

Seconds later the speeder was moving. The Mandalorian kept ducking, and rising to shoot as the speeder moved down the way. You stared up at the Mandalorian, looking at what you hoped was his eyes - because if you were looking at his eyebrows or his nose, things would have felt weird. You moved your heavy arms, reaching downwards towards where the Mandalorian had your lightsaber stored at his side.

Instead of brushing against the hilt of the lightsaber, your fingers brushed over something completely different, and nearly as hard.

The Mandalorian groaned above you as your eyes widened. Your hand froze, no longer touching the Mandalorian but still near him, heat radiating from within his duraweave pants. “Sorry. I wasn’t going for that.” you whispered, your voice hoarse from embarrassment. The Mandalorian said nothing. Your eyes stared down at his new chestplate, the armor shiny and impeccably clean. 

“Still impressive though.” you whispered, avoiding eye to helmet contact.

“Other side.” the Mandalorian whispered hastily.

Your other hand snaked down his beskar clad chest, over his ammo belt and his holster, before connecting with the cool hilt of your lightsaber. You let out a relieved sigh, nearly closing your eyes as you were reconnected with the lightsaber.

The Mandalorian watched as you relaxed with your weapon back in your hand. If he wasn’t in this precarious life or death situation, and if you hadn’t accidentally groped him, the bounty hunter wouldn’t have been able to keep his hands to himself. But here he was crushing you to the pallet with the Child wrapped up like a goddamn burrito, just waiting to be saved.

Maybe in another life he’d have you.

The droid driving the speeder blew up, making the speeder crash into a wall of crates and other junk. The Mandalorian lost his balance and smashed his weight down on top of your body, crushing you into the speeder beneath your back.

For a long, tense moment neither of you moved. You pushed your way into the bounty hunter’s mind again, telling him where everyone was. You could feel where they stood through the Force, could feel their emotions on high alert. And with every second that passed, your body fought the urge to collapse. You were tired, and you were losing your grip on the Force.

The Mandalorian drew his pulse rifle, and began picking off members of the Guild, one by one thanks to your instructions and his limited view. The Guild members scattered, searching for cover. Greef Karga’s voice spurred the two of you out of your minds.

“That’s one impressive weapon.” Karga shouted.

“Here’s what I’m gonna do.” spoke the Mandalorian as a wave of uneasiness washed over you.

“I’m gonna walk to my ship with the Kid, and you’re gonna let it happen.”

“No. How about this? We take them both, and if you try to stop us we’ll kill you and strip your body for parts.” Karga spoke.

The Mandalorian kicked a cargo box into the chest of a Guild member that had been sneaking up on you. In a sweeping arc of motion, you sliced through the Guild member with your lightsaber, splitting the poor sucker clean in two. The Mandalorian shot down the other member that had accompanied the one you sliced in half.

More shots rang out, pinning you and the Mandalorian down again. The Mandalorian moved again, crushing your legs against the metal speeder.

“Don’t hit the target!” Karga shouted. 

The bounty hunter scorched the Guild members with his vambrace, sending them scattering backwards. Over the gunfire, and rage of war you heard the Child coo up at the Mandalorian. You blurrily stared at the Mandalorian as he looked down at the baby.

New blasts of gunfire went off, drawing your attention towards the sky. Dozens of Mandalorians descended on jetpacks, coming to your aid.

“Get out of here. We’ll hold’em off.” spoke a large blue Mandalorian, as he fired off a gatling gun. 

“You’re going to have to relocate the covert.” the bounty hunter said.

“This is the Way.” replied the larger Mandalorian.

“This is the Way.” replied your Mandalorian. 

The Mandalorian scooped up the baby, and looked at you. You shrugged, leaving it up to the Mandalorian if he would take you along with him or not. With a single nod from him, you adjusted your grip on your saber, and prepared to run.

You ran for the  _ Razor Crest, _ and didn’t bother to look back. You felt safe on the  _ Razor Crest _ , until you felt the steel of a gun pressed to your back.

“Hold it Mando.” Karga said.

The Mandalorian slowly turned around with the baby in his arms.

“I didn’t want it to come to this. But then you broke the Code.” Karga snapped, jabbing the gun harder into your spine. 

The Mandalorian looked at the carbonite chamber and then back at you, praying you got the plan he was putting into action. Seconds later, noxious carbon gas filled the room, blinding Karga.

You dropped to your knees, and spun out of the way of Karga’s gun which went off several times. You cried out softly, when a blaster shot ricocheted off the walls and barely grazed your leg. With a single shot, the Mandalorian shot the Guild leader in the chest, knocking him off the  _ Razor Crest _ , letting his body fall down the ramp and slump on the lava plains.

The  _ Razor Crest _ shot off into space moments later, leaving behind Nevarro and the mess you've made.

You slump in one of the seats inside the cockpit, sleep taking over you. The drug that Dr. Pershing had injected you with had finally won. You drifted into unconsciousness, half afraid you’d never wake again.

*

The Mandalorian looked back at your sleeping form, worry written across his hidden face.

When he entered the compound, and found you nearly dead on the table next to the Kid, more fear spread through the Mandalorian’s body. In all his years, he’d never felt so much for someone. You were something different, and he wanted to figure you out.

And he wanted an explanation about how and why he could hear you inside his head. He’d spent years strengthening his mind and body, and now here you were breaking years and years of extensive training in a single night.

With a dejected sigh, the Mandalorian unclipped his cape and laid it over your nearly naked form. Your fingers curled over the material clutching it tightly, as if you were afraid to let the Mandalorian go.

His was baffled by the laser sword you wielded, and how you knew the position of all the Guild members the two of you had taken down. He could recall stories about beings who wielded such mysterious laser swords from his childhood before his parents were killed and he was taken in by the Mandalorians and swore the Creed. But he had never heard of such beings walking through the galaxy now, those stories had only been that - stories to tell children before bedtime. No such beings walked among the stars now...right?

You were a complete and utter mystery to him, and he had no clue where to even begin in unravelling the riddles that surrounded you. 

*

You awoke with a start, cold sweat covering your body. You jumped in your seat, blurry eyes trying to take in your surroundings. You blinked several times, trying to clear your foggy vision. Dozens of blinking lights came into focus first, and then the metal and plastic that made up a spacecraft console became visible. 

“You’re safe.” spoke the Mandalorian. You believed him, and then the tiny green gremlin’s face crossed your mind, making you panic. “The Kid?” you questioned, looking at the bounty hunter. If the Kid was dead or injured or anything you’d walk back to Nevarro and kill everyone in sight.

“He’s fine. Still asleep.”

You fell silent, relaxing into your chair. If the Child was fine, then you could relax. You closed your eyes, and let your head knock against the back of the chair. Relaxing your fingers, which were curled into a tight fist, you released the piece of fabric that was draped over you.

Looking down, you saw that the Mandalorian had covered you with his cape, keeping you descent and warm. Your eyes found the Mandalorian’s side profile, watching as he piloted the ship through space.

“Why did you come back? Did you come back because you felt guilty or because you knew it was the right thing to do?” you asked.

“It was the right thing to do.” 

“Well we both know you didn’t come back for me.” you stated with a little laugh. The Mandalorian’s helmet tilted to the side. You could tell he was puzzled from the way he stayed quiet. You wanted to know  _ why _ he came back for the Child. What changed?

“Oh come on. You wouldn’t have come back for me if the Child wasn’t there too.” you tried to explain.

“I heard you.” he said, making you speechless for once.

“Oh…I’m sorry. I’ll - I’ll be quiet... down in the cargo hold.” you muttered, looking down at your bare feet… maybe getting dressed was a good idea.

“No. I  _ heard _ you.” he said, spinning around in his pilot’s seat to look at you. He stood, faster than you could blink, and stood before you. He takes your hand in his gloved ones, examining the dark bruising around your wrist from where you struggled only hours ago.

“I heard you. Inside my head.”

His touch is gentle as his fingers trace across the bruise, Your skin is singing, asking for him to touch you more, but all too soon he’s pulling away, dropping your hand back down to your side.

“You… heard…me?” you ask, his words registering slowly in your mind as you repeated them back to him.

He looks at you, and for once you wish he didn’t have that goddamn helmet on. You stare into his visor, your expression equally hard to read.

“I’m sorry.” you repeat.

The Mandalorian’s helmet tilts to the side, confused - again - as to why you’re apologizing.

“I don’t know why or how you heard me. It should be impossible.” you refused to meet the Mandalorian’s gaze. He got the feeling you were keeping something from him.

“Explain it to me.”

“Explain it?” you asked. Your eyes rose to meet his visor, your eyebrows drew together in a questioning gesture. 

“How did you get inside my mind?”

The baby cooed by your ankles, saving you from having to explain. You knelt down and scooped the little green bean up into your arms, cuddling him to your chest. The baby laughed as you tickled his sides. 

“We need to lay low for a while.” the Mandalorian said, changing the subject. He was going to get an answer out of you later.

“We?” you asked before you could stop yourself.

The bounty hunter said nothing as he turned back to pilot the  _ Razor Crest _ . You took the opportunity to leave, slipping down the ladder into the cargo bay to change into your clothes. You left the Child up in the cockpit with the bounty hunter, giving yourself privacy for a moment.

You gathered your clothes in your arms, and moved into the refresher. You quickly showered off, not wanting to waste the bounty hunter’s limited water supply. You shoved your legs into your pants, and slipped on your bra, followed by your shirt. Buckling your weapons belt around your waist, the feeling of guilt washed over you. What made you feel guilty? You clipped your lightsaber to your side as the guilt began to build within you.

The strip of cloth from the Mandalorian’s cape laid at your feet, waiting for you to do something with it. You could throw it away, or keep it. The fabric felt heavy in your fingers as hot, white flashes of the Mandalorian battle against the Mudhorn crossed your mind. You tied the long strip of gray fabric around your bicep without a second thought.

Moments later you stepped out of the fresher, and were greeted by the Child. He cooed up at you. You smiled down at him, and reached down to scoop him up into your arms.

Children, or younglings as you had always heard them referred to as, were not something you knew how to operate around. You had not grown up around children your age, and when you were around children your age, they often found you strange and would avoid you the best they could. And as you grew older, your interactions with younglings became few and far between, resulting in your not truly understanding how to interact with them. But you liked children, liked the idea of maybe someday in the far future of having or adopting your own little ones. Ideas and actual interactions were very different things. 

Maybe this little guy would help you learn along the way. 

*

The Mandalorian landed the  _ Razor Crest _ on a planet in the Outer Rim a few hours later. The Child was growing restless, and you itched to get off the ship as well.

He met you and the Kid in the cargo bay, near where he stashed all of his weapons. He looked at you and the Child as he waddled around on the floor. The bounty hunter noticed that you did not have shoes, which would eventually prove to be dangerous.

With a modulated sigh, the Mandalorian moved towards his weapons cash, rummaging around for something. He turned back towards you, and held out a small pouch for you to take. A puzzled look crosses your soft features, and for a moment the Mandalorian wonders how you manage to stay soft, and sweet, and kind in a galaxy that is cruel, and harsh and hard.

He held his breath as your hands brushed against his leather gloves. He wondered just how soft your skin really feels, how it would feel against his own. He pushed the thought away when the bag of credits left his palm.

“Take these. Buy shoes and food for the kid. I’ll be back in a few hours.” he stated before he moved to leave the  _ Crest _ .

“Wait!” you pleaded. The Mandalorian looked back at you.

“You’re not getting rid of me? I would have thought… you’d get rid of me as fast as you could.”

“Not yet.” replied the Mandalorian. And then he walked down the ramp of the  _ Razor Crest _ , and left you alone with the Kid.

*

The Mandalorian had landed the  _ Razor Crest  _ on a planet called Rodia.

You and the Child had walked into the marketplace, taking in the sights that Rodia had to offer. There was so much green on this planet, that you weren’t sure how to process it all. And for a brief moment, you were scared that your tiny green goblin would blend into your surroundings and disappear before your very eyes. 

However, the Child and you safely made it to the market without getting lost - or distracted by the luscious greenery of Rodia. You set the Kid on the ground, letting him explore the marketplace while you paid vendors for the few things you were here to purchase. You felt bad for using Mando’s credits - you were an extra mouth to feed now - but you all needed food and going hungry wasn’t an option for any of you.

If the opportunity arose to repay the Mandalorian, you would do so handsomely. He had saved your life and deserved to be rewarded for that, and you had enough credits safely tucked away on Venaari to retrieve if you ever needed them.

You purchased food for the three of you, a pair of boots for yourself, and a small frog toy for the Child, and you even managed to save a few credits to return to the Mandalorian. You spun around, looking for the Child as you stuffed your small purchases into the rucksack you’d brought with you.

Your heart seized in your chest when you didn’t see him immediately. You willed yourself not to panic as you began moving away from one stall and towards another, weaving your way through the crowds that lingered in the market. The Kid had to be here somewhere. He couldn’t just disappear.

_ But he could, _ you realized. You weren’t that far from Nevarro, and anyone could be after you and the Child and the Mandalorian. Your bounties were high before, and you could only guess how much they were now. If the Mandalorian wasn’t on the run with you, he’d never have to hunt again if he turned you over.

You weaved in and out of people, searching high and low for the little green goblin. Your chest began to tighten as time passed and the Kid remained missing.

“Excuse me have you seen a child? Tiny. Green. Cute but also kind of ugly.” you asked anyone who would listen. With each answer being no, more and more panicked tears filled your eyes.

_ Where was he? _

The Mandalorian was going to kill you when he found out you lost the Child. “Kriff.” you hissed, scanning your surroundings. 

You raised the hand at your side just a little, and tried to feel through the Force for the baby. You searched and searched, and found nothing - not knowing what his aura looked or felt like made finding him inside the crowded marketplace extremely difficult.

You spotted the little green devil down the street, playing with an old blaster. You took off running as the baby began to bring the blaster part towards his little mouth. Scooping up the baby, you plucked the rusty blaster part from his grasp and dropped it on the ground. The Kid giggled in your arms, watching you with his big brown eyes that made your heart swell.

You sighed in relief, and hugged the Child close to your chest. You pulled him away from you, holding him at arms length to stare at his wrinkly face.

“Don’t do that again. You have to say close to me or your - the Mandalorian.” you scold him.

_ Your Dad.  _ the words echo in your mind as the baby’s ears tilt backwards. Your harsh voice and stern words must have conveyed the message to the little guy. No more running off. You had wanted to say ‘ _ your dad _ .’ When had the Mandalorian become the Child’s father in your mind?

“We just want you safe.” you sighed. The baby cooed as if he understood you, but you knew better. He’s going to do what he wanted when he wanted.

“Keep that little imp away from my parts.” growled a Rodian merchant. 

“We’re sorry.” you apologized, tucking the Child closer to your chest, trying to shield him away from the nasty glare the stall owner sent the Child’s way. 

“He tried to eat my bolts!” the Rodian shouted at you, his accent stunning you into silence. He shook a bag full of bolts and nuts and things at you, shouting in a language you didn’t understand. Anger flared inside you as he pointed a scaly finger at the Child.

“He didn’t hurt anyone. Calm down.” you barked, trying to hold your tongue. Getting into a fight on Rodia was not a good option, and the exact opposite of ‘staying low’ 

“He ate my bolts!”

“You’re gonna eat my fist in a second.” you snapped.

“Everything okay here?”

_ That voice _ .

His voice scared you - made you whirl around to face him as your hand reached for your lightsaber. His armor shone as light from the sun beat down on him, nearly blinding you until Mando shifted to stand beneath some fabrics draped above the stalls to keep out the heat and harsh sunlight. 

“Bounty hunters aren’t welcome here.” The Rodian behind his market stall growled again.

“Neither are slave traders.” the Mandalorian said, accusing the scaly man.

The reptilian merchant garbled something in his foreign tongue, which resulted in the Mandalorian snapping back at the merchant in the same foreign language. You were going to have to hit your language books again, and perhaps pick up new languages soon. The Merchant scowled, and tossed the bag of nuts and bolts onto his table harshly. The Merchant shouted, drawing the attention of some fellow merchants - ones who looked scarier, and far meaner than the one in front you.

“Look, we’re leaving.” the Mandalorian said, trying to de-escalate the situation.

The reptilian merchant shook his head, warning you that he would not let this go. A metaphorical line had been crossed.

The bright flash of blaster fire blinded you just seconds before you felt the Mandalorian’s hands wrapping around your waist, and hauled you backwards. When your vision cleared, you were sprinting away from the merchants that began to pursue you. Your feet padded across the ground, running like your life depended on it.

You ran behind the Mandalorian, weaving through the streets of Rodia. The Mandalorian’s glove hand gripped your elbow, pulling you sideways. Together the three of you stumble into a darkened alleyway. Panting, you pressed your back against the cool terra walls as you listened for your pursuers.

“You are in so much trouble.” the Mandalorian growled, his chest heaving up and down as he pointed a finger towards you and the Kid. You weren’t sure who he was talking to, and you really hoped it wasn’t you… but you’d take the blame if the Kid was the one in trouble.

Muffled shouts came from around the corner, spurring you and the Mandalorian back into action.

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

“Not in the slightest.” you replied, but your mind whispered that you did trust him - with your life even though you barely knew him. 

He shoved his blaster into your hands, as he unclipped the pulse rifle from his back.

“We can’t risk people finding out we were here.” he explains when you reach for your lightsaber. Adjusting his stance against the wall the Mandalorian looked out into the open street, strategizing on how to go about this precarious situation and get back to the  _ Razor Crest _ .

Several gunmen scoured every inch of the marketplace, slowly but surely making their way towards the three of you. 

“We need to get back to the  _ Crest _ .” the Mandalorian stated, his voice quieter, trying to keep yourselves hidden for as long as possible.

The shouts were closer, stalling the Mandalorian’s plan. He scanned the alleyway, searching for an exit. A small hole in the wall caught his attention. He stalked back towards you, grabbing the baby and the backpack from your arms.

The Child cried out, distressed and worried, as he was manhandled into the tiny rucksack. The Mandalorian apologized softly, before he zipped the bag closed, and stuffed it into the hole, before he moved a large wooden crate in front of it.

“What…” you began to ask, but are cut off by the goons.

“There they are!”

The fighting began in a flurry of blaster fire, flying fists, cracking bones, and blood.

You managed to take down a few of the smaller thugs without the use of your blaster, but the larger thugs required you to use the blaster, even if you wanted and wished to use the lightsaber at your side.

While momentarily distracted - who wouldn’t be when watching the Mandalorian beat the shit out of his enemies - a gunman knocked his shoulder into you, sending your body skittering across the rocky ground. Your lightsaber clanked against the ground, before smacking into your kneecap. You whimpered, and slowly got to your feet. The man who body-slammed you stalked towards your hunched over figure as you got to your feet.

The Mandalorian slugged his beskar into one of the thug’s faces, dropping him to the ground. You spun just in time - having dropped your own attacker - to see a man as he aimed his blaster at the Mandalorian’s back. All you could do was watch in horror, frozen with fear as the fiery blaster shot zoomed towards the Mandalorian. But something inside snapped, you weren’t sure what it was but you used a hand to push at the thug letting out a loud, “No!” as the Force flowed through your body and down your arm. It licked at your veins, feeling like a fire had been lit beneath your skin.

Before your eyes you watched as the thug was sent flying back, and smashed against a nearby stall before he slumped to the ground, unconscious. In amazement, the blaster shot hovered, suspended in the air unable to penetrate the Mandalorian’s back.

The Mandalorian stared at the suspended blaster shot before he spun around to face you. Your face was pinched from concentration as you held your hand before you, keeping the blaster shot from getting to the bounty hunter. Sweat rolled down your neck, and your hand began to shake, the strain of using the Force getting to you.

The Mandalorian moved to your side, catching you before your knees gave out underneath you. The blaster shot collided with a wall, sending clouds of powdery plaster around the two of you, giving you a momentary shield to make your escape. The wake of bodies at your feet was bound to draw more attention towards yourselves. 

“We need to go. Can you walk?” he asked.

“Yes.” you panted.

The Mandalorian quickly retrieved the Kid from the hole in the wall he stashed him in, and returned to your side. You took the bag and the Kid from the bounty hunter as he took his blaster from you. After double checking the coast was clear, the two of you ran for the  _ Razor Crest _ .

*

Take off happened in a matter of minutes. And then a few minutes later the Mandalorian was jumping to hyperspace, and away from Rodia.

Once you were safely tucked away in the middle of the endless cosmos, the Mandalorian switched the  _ Razor Crest _ to autopilot. He whipped around in his seat, and glared at you and the Kid in your lap. You’d been quiet the entire time as you left Rodia, rocking the little womp rat to sleep in your arms.

You would feel the anger radiating off the Mandalorian. If his helmet were off - and after you got over the shock of seeing what he looked like - you would see the disappointed and angry glare the Mandalorian was looking at you with.

You submissively lowered your eyes to the floor, shrinking backwards into the leather of the co-pilot’s seat. You silently wished for a black hole to erupt and swallow you whole.

“What were you thinking?” he asked, his voice rough. You aren’t entirely sure if the bounty hunter was speaking to you or the baby in your arms.

You remained silent, your facial expressions spurred the Mandalorian to speak again.

“I told you to watch the Kid.” he snapped. The Mandalorian was indeed speaking to you and not at the Kid.

“I did! I - I was.” you snapped back. The Child stirred in your arms. Rising from the co-pilot seat you put the Kid in his cot, and closed the lid with the Force with a tickle of your fingers.

“And getting into a fight with a slave trader is watching the Kid?” the Mandalorian asked.

“Did you hear the entire conversation I had with the Rodian? He got angry with the Kid for no reason.”

“I heard enough.”

“No, you didn’t.” Anger flared in your chest. 

The Mandalorian had no right to be angry with you. You’d done nothing wrong, and you had saved his life… and now you were getting scolded for it? You weren’t going to have that. You could let the Mandalorian get away with not thanking you for saving his life… but being reprimanded for taking care of the Child when the entire situation was not your fault -  **_Kriff_ ** him.

“Whatever. Just find another planet and you’ll never have to see me again..” You left the cockpit, and moved down to the cargo hold, wanting and needing peace and quiet.

When you had left the room, the ship fell silent again. The Mandalorian looked out into the vast darkness of space, as guilt began to eat at him. He hadn’t meant to snap at you… it just happened… and he was scared that you or the Kid could have gotten hurt. And he couldn’t even begin to process how you stopped that blaster shot from hitting him when he had been distracted and vulnerable.

With a dejected sigh, the Mandalorian began charting a course to the next planet he knew he could lie low on.

*

Hours later, the Child came down for food, which you happily whipped up for him. After placing a bowl of bone broth in front of the tiny grabby handed toad, you sat down on the floor and began to dismantle your lightsaber, ready to clean its pieces and parts.

Disassembly and cleaning took a matter of minutes, which you were thankful for. Taking apart and reassembling your lightsaber had become second nature to you since you built the sword nearly 17 years ago. When you get to the heart of your lightsaber you find something terrible.

“ _ Kriff _ .” you hissed. Your eyes widened before glancing at the baby to your side. 

“You didn’t hear that.” you declared sternly, pointing a finger at the green alien.

“But I did.” came the Mandalorian’s voice from behind you. He stepped off the ladder that led up to the cockpit with silent steps. You jumped in surprise.

“I’m sorry.” you apologized, looking up at him.

“What’s wrong?” Mando asked, looking down at you surrounded by tools and your dismantled laser sword. 

“Oh.” you sighed, surprised the ruthless bounty hunter would care about you and your problems. “During our escape on Nevarro the _ kyber crystal  _ which powers my lightsaber cracked.”

“Can you fix it?”

You hesitated to answer. “I mean,  _ sure _ , I can fix it, but the item I need is expensive, and rare, and impossible to find.”

“What do you need?”

“Sap from a uneti tree, specifically the tree on Ahch-to.” you said, before holding up your hand towards the bounty hunter. You began projecting blurry images of the tree you spoke of into the Mandalorian’s mind, as well as the Kid’s. 

_ In the rocky, moss covered earth sprouts a massive leafless tree, with several finger-like branches erupting from the base of the tree reaching upwards towards the sky. In between the dark and cracking bark, and the soft fuzzy moss that grows along the trunk, lives a strange feeling. It settles itself in your chest, nestling in between your ribs, just above your heart where it takes root and beats beneath your skin. It surrounds and tethers you to everything around you, connecting you to everything within the universe. _

The bounty hunter sucks in a surprised breath. You -  _ once again _ \- managed to get passed the walls he’d built up around himself to keep him safe. The Kid babbles excitedly as he sees images in his mind. He waddles over to you, reaching out to play with your pants as his three-fingered hand grips the fabric.

“But forget it. Finding that sap to mend my  _ kyber crystal _ is like searching for a single star in all the galaxy.” A sad defeated sigh escaped your lips, as you put your scattered tools away, and put your saber back together. The Mandalorian made a displeased sound from inside his helmet. He did not like seeing you or the Kid upset. 

“You could stay.” the Mandalorian said before he could stop himself.

You looked up at him, eyes meeting his, even if you didn’t know it.

“I don’t have a lot of experience….I could use help caring for the Child. And because your a …”

You cut him off immediately. “If you say because I’m a woman, who has experience with children I will smack you so hard, no amount of bacta will help heal the bruises I will leave behind.”

The Mandalorian said nothing, but was again thankful for the helmet that covered his embarrassed expression, and he had no doubt in his mind that you could leave some pretty dark bruises littered against his skin if you were an actual enemy of his. 

“I have just as much experience with kids as you do. Probably less experience, actually.” you added, scooping the baby into your arms. You had not grown up around children and when you were around children they often found you strange and would avoid you the best they could. And as you grew older, your interactions with younglings became few and far between, resulting in you not truly understanding how to properly interact with them. A soft, innocent smile spread across your cheeks as the baby curled into you as he closed his eyes to drift off to sleep. 

“Then we can figure it out together.” the Mandalorian said. He too had a smile on his face as he watched you softly rock the Child back and forth in your arms. The two of you were quiet for a while as you stared down at the sleeping creature in your arms.

“I’m sorry for what happened on Rodia. I took my eyes off the Kid for like a second.” you apologized.

“I…I didn’t mean to lose my temper.” the Mandalorian apologized.

“Can… Can I stay? I don’t know where to go. I don’t have anywhere to go....” you trailed off, wondering if you sound pathetic.

“I don’t think the little womp rat would let you leave anyway. He really likes your cooking.” the Mandalorian joked. A playful, but surprised smile paints itself on your face - one which the Mandalorian wanted to see again.

“So you do have a sense of humor. Who would have guessed?” you teased him as your eyes lit up. A modulated chuckle escaped the Mandalorian’s helmet.

“Any idea where we’re headed next?”

“You’re not going to like it.” the Mandalorian admitted.

“I guess I’ll have to be the judge of that.” you stated. 


	3. Chapter 3: Okay.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: The freezing planet of Hoth reveals truths neither you nor the Mandalorian wanted to know.  
> Warnings: nudity (male and female), awkward sexual situation, angst, made up Force powers, misuse of the Force, prejudice against the Jedi, brief mentions of death and blood, a lot of information dumping about the reader’s past, uncanon timeline in the star wars universe cause i don’t understand how the years work EDITED**  
> Word Count: 12,330 (this took me so fucking long omg)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lightsaber colors/meanings white - obedience and service to higher cause. blue - justice and protection, and skilled warrior. ( the reader has a white saber because her purpose is to serve the Force and do as it asks. Her saber has a blue tint to it because deep down the reader has a need/drive to protect her loved ones.)  
> edited 1/9/21

The Mandalorian was right. You hated this.

Hoth was so fucking cold. You were used to the cold that settled over the valley when night fell on Arvala-7 and the  _ Razor Crest _ when you jumped into hyperspace, but this cold -  _ this cold _ you couldn’t stand. It settled underneath your skin, bit into your bones and refused to let go no matter how hard you shivered or how many layers you bundled yourself in.

After landing on the icy planes on Hoth, the bounty hunter had asked if you would be good on your own for a few hours while he slept. He didn’t necessarily trust you enough to leave you to your own devices, but he was ready to pass out where he stood. If you left the ship, you wouldn’t make it very far in the subzero temperatures outside. You agreed, knowing the Mandalorian needed rest - when was the last time you saw him take a break? The three of you had been on the move for weeks, ever since you met on Arvala-7, travelling through the deep endless expanse of space. You promised to keep the Kid entertained and quiet while the Mandalorian rested for a few hours. With a curt nod, the Mandalorian descended the ladder, and disappeared into his sleeping quarters.

You took the Child and brought him to the back of the cargo bay, where the two of you could play and goof around without disturbing the bounty hunter with too much noise.

At first, you and the Child played peek-a-boo. Each time you popped out from behind your hands, the baby would coo and giggle, making you laugh as well. When the Child grew tired of peek-a-boo, the two of you played hide and seek, staying on the lower level of the  _ Razor Crest _ and away from the gun rack and the carbonite freezer.

Eventually the Child grew restless, cluing you into the fact that the grabby handed toad was hungry, or needed to be put down for a nap. Scooping the Child up into your arms, you moved him into the makeshift kitchenette nestled into a corner of the front of the hull. The Child cooes when you place him on a tall stack of crates to let him watch you work as you move about the kitchen, softly humming to yourself. 

You had learned over the course of the first couple of days when you first began travelling through space, that the Kid liked bone broth and portion bread, and could eat for days on end with no end in sight. If you hadn’t have asked the Mandalorian to lock the limited pantry supply he had, you were certain the Kid was going to eat all of your food before you could even realize it was gone. 

You made two rations of portion bread, and broke it into halves, giving a small piece to the Kid to occupy him while you heated up some bone broth. His tiny fingers wrapped around the bread, and happily munched on the flakey food while you were occupied stirring the broth as it heated up on the tiny electric stove, that you were surprised the Mandalorian even had aboard his spacecraft. 

The Mandalorian was not a sentimental kind of man. He had the bare necessities and that was it. The only ‘luxury’ items aboard the  _ Razor Crest  _ were the weapons he had stashed away in the weapon’s rack, next to the sealed off door that had rusted shut at some point in time of the  _ Razor Crest’s _ existence. Once you had pried open the storage room door, with a lot of help from the Force, you had claimed that small storage closet as your own. After sleeping on a long wooden crate with a flimsy blanket for several days, which left your back aching for days, you decided to temporarily claim a small area of the ship to have as your own. 

Scooping two bowls full of the bone broth, you placed one in front of the Kid, and plated the other for the sleeping bounty hunter who spelt in his quarters a few feet away from you. You weren’t hungry at the moment, and could always return to the kitchenette to snag a ration bar if you felt hungry later. With the Kid occupied for the moment, you slipped away, bringing the extra bowl of soup and bread to the Mandalorian.

You padded a few steps towards the closed door which led to the Mandalorian’s tiny bunk, and raised a fist to knock lightly against the wall so as to not startle him if he was still drifting off to sleep or just coming out of it. 

“Hey! I made food. I’ll leave it out here for you.” you said a little louder than normal so he could hear you through the metal door. 

You placed the food on a random crate you had yet to get rid of, and moved back towards the kitchenette. Your heart lurched for a moment when you didn't see the Kid where you had left him. Willing yourself not to panic just yet, you begin looking for him. There were only so many places that little hooligan could go. You found him near the carbonite freezer, poking around the exposed pipes that you hadn’t managed to baby proof yet. With a laugh you picked up the Kid and brought him back into the open cargo hold, and began playing with him.

*

The Mandalorian waited to open the door, listening as your footsteps recede as you walked away back towards the rear of the cargo hold. Poking his head out the door, he found a bowl of bone broth and a roll waiting on a box for him to eat. He was touched that you thought of him while making food for the Kid. Mando wasn’t sure when the last time someone consciously made him a meal was. It must have been years, probably since he was a foundling.

He brought the meal you made into his room, locking the door behind him. He removed his helmet, setting it down behind him on the bedroll softly, before he shifted on his bunk. The bone broth was a little bland, but that wasn’t your fault - bone broth always was a little dull when there weren’t extra spices added to it. And with the limited resources on the  _ Razor Crest _ , the broth was bound to be lacking. However, Mando consumed the broth eagerly, somehow wanting to show you that he appreciated the fact that you made him food.

He took his time with the portion roll, savoring the way the bread flaked in his mouth and against his tongue. While he ate, he wondered about you and your interests. Do you like to cook? To paint or draw or dance or sing? He could hear you humming in the kitchenette earlier. He couldn’t place the tune, but it was pretty and almost lulled him to sleep again. He wondered about where you came from. Where were you born? Where did you learn to use your laser sword? Who taught you how to fight so proficiently? What planets have you seen, and what parts of the galaxy have yet to be consumed by your eager eyes? 

Your laughter hit his ears again, and he couldn’t help but smile in between bites of bread and sips of soup. He liked having you here, on the  _ Razor Crest _ with him and the Kid. Having you here was domestic… and he found himself enjoying the simplicity and calm that you brought into his life. Mando liked the different pace of life that followed in your wake. As he drank down your bone broth, he indulged himself for a few minutes by letting his mind wander through a fantasy; of settling down somewhere with you and the Child, of removing his helmet for good with you by his side, giving up bounty hunting for good. He wanted to settle somewhere safe in the Outer Rim, somewhere comfortable where he could protect you and all the little ones the two of you could have together. He wanted the Armorer’s blessing to have a Clan of his own, he wanted you to bear his last name and his signet proudly. He wanted you in his life. 

Sadly, he wanted a lot of things the galaxy cannot grant him. 

*

The Mandalorian emerged from his room an hour later, and brought the bowl to the kitchenette after his long overdue nap. You were playing peek-a-boo with the Kid again when Mando’s boots stopped behind you. You smiled up at him as you got off the ground, and scooped the baby into your arms. You weren’t one for kids - never having siblings or younglings to take care of made you a bit apprehensive towards taking care of them or even being around them, but the 50 year old toddler was growing on you, warming your heart to the idea of someday starting a family… maybe even with the Mandalorian if the galaxy was kind enough to you. Heat crept up your neck, making your face feel incredibly hot at your silly, fantastical thoughts.

“I have a bounty to catch. I should be back in two days.” he said, tilting his helmet slightly to the side. His HUD did not miss the way your body temperature rose rapidly when he approached you. He wondered what you were thinking about to create such a rapid reaction.

“Be safe. Hoth is freezing.” you stated, adjusting the Kid on your hip.

“If I don’t return in 2 days, take the  _ Crest _ and leave.” he instructed you.

You opened your mouth to protest, but Mando cut you off. “That’s an order.”

You nod, but had absolutely no intention of following that order, even if the time came. With a nod of approval from the Mandalorian, he grabbed his pulse rifle and left the  _ Razor Crest. _ As he descended the ramp, you called out to him.

“Come back in one piece!” 

That made him freeze. He’d never really had someone to come back to - someone to come home to. The thought made his heart constrict. **_He has someone to come home to._ ** Realizing he hadn’t acknowledged you, he nodded at you again, and began to walk off into the snow covered lands. You closed the ramp, engaged the ground protocols, and looked down at the Child. You smiled at him, and tickled his sides, making him shriek with laughter.

What were you supposed to do for two days?

The answer to said question came quicker than you thought it would. For a majority of the afternoon and well into the evening, you and the Kid practiced making the tiny metal ball the Kid loved so much float in the air. The lights had gone out once or twice when the wind picked up, but you thought nothing of it at the time. They kicked back to life a couple minutes later, leaving you to believe there was nothing to worry about for the first night. 

On the first day without Mando, you had kept the Child entertained as best you could. You let him watch an old holofilm which occupied most of his time as you tried to fix the flickering lights situation. When the holofilm came to an end, you came to the conclusion that you weren’t skilled or trained enough to fix the complicated wiring inside the  _ Razor Crest _ . You could fix nearly any problem that a droid had, but the  _ Razor Crest _ was not a droid, and you didn’t want to accidentally break something and make the whole situation worse. 

There was something to worry about when the lights and all of the power went out completely after you put the Kid to bed on the second night. Instantly the temperature in the  _ Crest _ dropped dramatically, leaving you shivering as your breath swirled before your face. Grabbing every spare article of clothing you could, which consisted of larger items like pants and shirts, as well as Mando’s blankets, you bunched everything into a cozy nest inside the Kid’s cot to keep him warm for the night.

And after making two ration packs, you stored the Kid and the food in the cot to keep him safe from the impending cold, and settled yourself in the pilot’s seat, dragging your feet onto the chair, curling in on yourself to savor what little heat your body produced. You hoped Mando returned from his hunt sooner rather than later. Tucking your hands beneath your arms, your eyes fell closed as the cold seeped into your bones. 

*

**_The beast emerged from the cave. It’s gigantic horn came into focus first and then its body emerged too. The beast - the Mudhorn - was huge. The Mandalorian struggled to sit up, disoriented from being tossed around like a children’s toy._ **

**_You watched as the Mandalorian struggled to his feet, and brought the pulse rifle up to shoot at the Mudhorn. The Mudhorn roared again in anger, it’s roar echoing all around you. The pulse rifle jammed, and as the Mandalorian looked down to inspect the problem, the Mudhorn charged. The Mandalorian collided with the Mudhorn and was sent flying through the air before crash landing in the mud, his pulse rifle landing far away from him. You grimaced and sucked in a breath through your teeth. You could feel just how badly that landing hurt._ **

**_The Mudhorn spun around and refocused its attention on the Mandalorian that was struggling to his feet. Your vision faltered as you blinked. The Mandalorian was being crushed to death by the Mudhorn when your vision cleared again._ **

**_“No.” you thought as you surged forwards, moving to help him._ **

**_A hand clamped down on your shoulder as a boot kicked your knees out from under you, your knees colliding hard with the ground. You struggled against the phantom hand holding you down, but no amount of thrashing could knock their grip from you. Trying to use the Force against your captor only resulted in your hands being tied behind your back and your ability to wield the Force stunted._ **

**_You refocused on the Mudhorn and the Mandalorian again. He was being dragged around by the Mudhorn, thanks to his grappling line. The Mandalorian tried to stop the Mudhorn from pulling him along, but as the Mudhorn spun around again, it sent the Mandalorian sailing through the air. He hit the ground with such ferocity you were certain you felt his life flicker through the Force._ **

**_One minute he was there - strong, present, and alive. His aura - strands of white light, pale yellows and golds surrounded him, dancing like fireflies around him. And then in the next moment he was less there, less present, not as strong as you knew he could and should be._ **

**_And then he wasn’t there at all. You couldn’t feel him no matter how hard you search through the Force. His strength in mind and body and heart were gone. His tendrils of lights zapped from existence with a blink of your eye. You cried out for him, desperately trying to get to him._ **

**_If you could get to him you could give him your life force. A fair exchange would be made. Your life for his._ **

**_“Do you see?” growled a familiar voice in your ear, making guilty tears warp your line of sight. Mando lay motionless in the mud, unmoving just yards from you. You could easily save him, you just had to get to him._ **

**_“You put them in danger. The Mandalorian and the Child do not need you.” hissed the voice._ **

**_“They do!” you shot back, raising yourself upwards slightly so your weight wasn’t crushing your feet into the wet sand you sat on._ **

**_“No.” snarled the voice, yanking your head backwards by your hair. You cried out in pain, a few tears running down your face in fright. “Look at them. You will get them both killed.”_ **

**_The paw at the back of your head yanked you around, forcing you to look at the Mandalorian again… only this time another, smaller body lay beside his. The Child lay motionless in the mud, his face covered in the blood with his chest torn open. Your heart rose in your throat as you cried openly now._ **

**_“No…” you whimpered. They couldn’t be dead. They couldn’t be._ **

**_The scene before you shifted violently, bringing you to a sterile training room deep within the Jedi Temple on Coruscant that you never thought you’d see again. Dark robes stand before you, but you could not bring yourself to look up at who loomed over you. His voice is inside your head the next time he speaks, making you flinch violently._ **

**_“Jedi. You are a plague within the galaxy and it is time someone rid us of you. Your death will not bring peace to the galaxy, but it will however get rid of your filth.”_ **

**_“M-master please.” you pleaded, finally dragging your eyes up to your old Master._ **

**_The Shistavanen glared down at you, disappointment and disgust written plainly across his features. You don’t have to feel through the Force to know you have failed him yet again. Guilt and shame flooded you, making you cast your eyes to the floor. You felt like a child again, not like the strong young woman you were._ **

**_“I should never have chosen you to be my apprentice. You disgust me. You are a disgrace. You chose to travel with a Mandalorian of all the beings in the galaxy? A Mandalorian?” Maldeth seethed at you._ **

**_Maldeth’s lilac aura of undulating squares and rectangles morphed from the pretty purple color you’d come to know and love and cherish into jagged edges of a deep black-blue-purple that made your stomach retch and crawl up your throat._ **

**_“I should have let Skywalker slaughter you along with the younglings he destroyed.” Master Maldeth growled at you, his needle sharp fangs snapped towards your head. You cowered backwards, your movements slow and restricted by the Force holding you down._ **

**_“Master please.” you pleaded again._ **

**_“Y/N.” the Mandalorian said from beside you. Your head whipped to the side, taking in the beskar and durasteel that you longed to see every morning when you awoke. Master Maldeth melted into the shadows, leaving you with Mando._ **

**_“Mando!” you cried out, relieved and happy to see him okay again._ **

**_This looked and felt wrong. Mando would never be in the Jedi Temple. The Jedi and Mandalorians were - are - sworn enemies. His presence here was just wrong. He looked out of place among the sterile walls and muted colors of the Temple. He blended in far too easily._ **

**_“Weapons are a part of my religion.” he mused holding your lightsaber in his hands. He ignited it, and a soft whitish-blue glow burned brightly between the two of you. Tilting the fiery blade in his hand, admiring its beauty and craftsmanship, he sounds mystified by the technology that you built with your bare hands. He moved close to you, crouching before you as he bounced on his heels. The heat of your lightsaber made the tears in your eyes evaporate._ **

**_As you stared at Mando you did not feel anything. A void filled and surrounded you, leaving you empty and cold. You knew you should feel afraid - panicked even - but there was nothing and that thought should have been terrifying. The Force that surrounded and consumed you was gone, no matter how hard or far out you reached, there was nothing._ **

**_There was no Force._ **

**_“I should have left you behind with the Doctor. At least he had a use for you.” Mando sneered._ **

**_“Mando.” you whimpered, looking at him, willing the helmet to disappear so you could see his face._ **

**_And then you felt it. Hatred, anger, frustration, disappointment, and loathing coated your skin like sticky honey, and refused to let go of you. You’re suffocating in the feelings that the Mandalorian threw at you. Your heart broke inside your chest, silently crumbling to dust as you’re forced to absorb the feelings he radiated._ **

**_He shifted forwards raising a hand to cup the side of your face. His gloved thumb stroked your cheek gently, giving you a false sense of security, and then the blade of your lightsaber sunks into your chest._ **

**_The hilt of your lightsaber nestled itself snugly against your sternum, the white-hot blade extending outwards from your spine, passing through your heart with ease and precision. A soft gasp escaped your lips as you shifted forward, sitting back on your knees while your body slumped slightly. Your eyes stared back at you as you stared into his helmet, the fiery heat of your lightsaber burning hot in your chest._ **

**_“You’re useless to me.”_ **

*

The Mandalorian knew something was wrong the moment he returned to the  _ Razor Crest _ . All the lights were off and the ship was quiet, meaning the power generator was off and had been for sometime. 

He opened the back ramp to the  _ Razor Crest _ and scrambled inside, away from the harsh wind that bit through the beskar. Stepping inside the cargo hold, the Mandalorian could see how dark it was. Or he couldn’t actually see, but his HUD helped him navigate through the dark via his night vision asset. The inside of the ship wasn’t much warmer than outside, which reconfirmed his suspicion from earlier: the  _ Razor Crest’s _ power had been off for some time now. His heart lurched when he remembered that he left you and the Kid here two days ago to hunt down his bounty.

The Mandalorian, left his dead bounty in the back of the cargo hull near the carbonite freezer, before ascending the ladder up to the cockpit where he found your body curled in the captain's chair, with the Kid safely sealed inside his cot. Your knees were curled up to your chest, while your hands were shoved under your arms to try and keep them warm. A peaceful look settled over your face, making the Mandalorian panic -  _ were you dead?  _ His thermal imaging asset had stopped working hours into the beginning of his hunt, and hadn’t worked since and would offer him no aid now.

He ripped off his glove and pressed his fingers against your neck, searching for a pulse. Seconds later he found it, faint and slow - but it was there. Mando sighed in relief. He would never forgive himself if you or the Child died under his care. He checked on the Kid, and saw that you’ve given the Kid every article of clothing on the spaceship, keeping the little toad warm and safe from the cold that was consuming the ship and the entire planet. Closing the hood of the cot to keep in the heat that had been accumulating, the Mandalorian turned back to you.

He noticed how you don’t shiver against the cold that was obviously getting to you. The goosebumps across your skin gave away that you’re cold, and the way your chest barely rose and fall when you breathed startled the Mandalorian. You were freezing to death. How long had you been without heat?

Scooping you up, he walked from the cockpit, dropped gently down the ladder and moved to his quarters. Setting you down gently on his cot, he stared down at you. It will be a tight fit, but freezing to death sounded like a worse option. You barely moved, which startled him more. Whenever the Child cuddled with you, you’d squirm around for a few minutes trying to get comfortable. He’ll have to share his body heat with you and fix the heating system in the morning when it’s light out.

“Oh mesh’la… what did you do?” the Mandalorian muttered, knowing you could not hear him.

He removed your clothes, leaving your panties on to give you some modesty. Once you’re mostly naked, and nestled in his bunk, he removed his armor and clothes, leaving himself in his boxer-briefs and helmet. He hovered above you, unsure of his movements. Was he really going to snuggle with you, skin to skin after years of not knowing another's intimate touch?

The shallow breaths you give and take remind Mando that this was not an intimate act, but one out of necessity. You’re freezing to death, and he would be too if the two of you don’t share your body heat with one another in the coming minutes.

He crawled over you, nestling himself on the cot with his shoulder almost touching the cold metal wall. You were nearly on top of him but there was still space between the two of you. His heart hammered in his chest as he prepared himself to feel your soft skin against his own, to feel the weight of you on top of him, pressing fully against him. He pulled you close, wrapped his arms around you before draping his comforter over the two of you. Your breasts pressed against his chest, your stomach against his own. Your legs tangled together, and the Mandalorian wasn’t entirely sure how to react. Your skin was softer than he imagined it to be. Your hair tickled his neck, and your soft shallow puffs of air ghosted over his collarbones, making him shiver under you.

It took a few minutes to generate heat between the two of you beneath the thick blanket Mando had draped over both of your bodies but once you began to warm up, you began to shift on top of him. You snuggled closer to Mando, wrapping your arms around him, and pulled him closer to you as if that were possible. The two of you were practically molded together in the Mandalorian’s cot.

You whimpered slightly in your unconscious state, grinding yourself against Mando, making his hands fly to your hips to stop your movements. Your body was pressed against his, nearly completely naked, making his mind wander to places he knew it shouldn’t.

Mando imagined how his life could be if you were his, how he could wake up every morning like this with you snuggled against his side. He could see you in the pathetic area he called a kitchen, making bone broth for the Kid while the Mandalorian watched as he cleaned his weapons.

He could see you dancing to a song you’d humming under your breath as you rocked the Kid to sleep in your arms, and he could picture you tending to his wounds after a particularly rough day of bounty hunting. He imagined settling down with you, and the Kid on some Outer Rim planet, with space to spread out and eventually have more kids running around.

He could picture you sitting in his lap in the cockpit, your warmth surrounding him as he piloted the ship through space. He could practically feel how tight you were, just for him as he’d sink his dick into you, bringing soft mewls and moans out of you. He could imagine you pregnant with his child, a soft glow radiating from you. He could imagine so many different ways of life he wanted to live with you. 

And then a wave of guilt washed over him for several reasons. One being the Way and how Mando has sworn himself to the Creed. He’d sworn his life to it and couldn’t imagine his life without it. The second reason was that you’re an enemy. Mando had lived through the Siege of Mandalore, and had heard the songs of the Night of a Thousand Tears. He knew of ancient battles between enemy sorcerers and other Mandalorians, but he didn’t know much about what had sparked the conflict between the two of your races. But you were of Jedi blood and Jedi heritage… you were the enemy. And yet he could eventually convince himself to look past who you are and where you’ve come from if it meant he could be with you. 

And the third reason was that Mando did not deserve you. For years he’d been a brutal, and ruthless killer, hunting bounties all across the galaxy - including you. You did not deserve to live a life on the run with him and the Kid. You deserved peace and pleasure and a nice boy who could show his face whenever he wanted. You deserved so much that the Mandalorian could not give to you.

*

You stirred in your sleep, confused as to why you’re warm and alive. You shifted slightly, and felt the mattress below you tense. Your brain doesn’t register the groan that accompanied the tense.

**_No one has seen him since he was a child._ ** whispered the Force in your mind.

Your eyes flew open, and you shoved yourself upwards and off whatever you were curled against.

Hovering above the Mandalorian, your wild eyes met his visor. Shaky, shattering gasps escaped your lips. You took note of the cold air hitting your bare skin, and you realized you’re naked - save for the panties that covered your ass. You moved again, ready to scamper away from the naked Mandalorian beneath you. 

_ Oh Maker! I’m naked - he’s naked. _ You thought.

“Calm down.” he said, his hands rested against your hips. 

You stared down at him, blinking a few times to clear your foggy panic-stricken mind. The room was dark, but you could see slightly. You don’t remember much, your brain clogged with nightmares. You remembered the power going out, gathering blankets for the Kid and then nothing. When had you fallen asleep? When had the Mandalorian returned?

**_No one has seen him since he was a child._ **

“The Kid?” you asked, although it sounded more like a frantic gasp than an actual question. You cannot think about being naked on top of the bounty hunter that set your heart on fire every time he was near.

“Still asleep.” Mando replied. “Lie back down.” he instructed you.

Your eyes fell to his chest. His very bare chest, which was littered with healed scars and semi-abs you could drool over. You don’t feel yourself shaking until Mando put a hand on your arm, resting over your elbow and part of your lower bicep.

“Lie back down. I’ll explain what happened.” he said, shifting his head a bit to look more at your face.

You kept your eyes on his visor as you lowered yourself back down, pressing your body against his again. Heat immediately engulfed you, making you shiver as he readjusted the comforter over the two of you. Why had you gotten up in the first place? Especially when he felt like this. Warm, and safe and like home.

_ Home. _ that word makes your heart beat faster as you tucked your head under the Mandalorian’s chin, curling into his warmth. You liked being with the Mandalorian. Liked having the Kid around. Liked having a home, a place where you belonged, and felt loved. It felt right, like it was meant to be.

“What happened?’ you asked, taking your mind off the Mandalorian, and the truth you were slowly beginning to realize. You were falling in love with him. 

“It looks like the power generator couldn’t handle the cold. When it blew so did the heater. I should be able to fix it when dawn comes. Do you remember what happened?” he asked.

“We were playing - I was showing him how to levitate a ball, and then the power went out, but then it came back on a few minutes later so I didn’t think anything of it. But then it went out a few hours later and it didn’t come back on… so I bundled the Kid up and locked him in the cot to keep him safe and warm… I don’t remember anything after that.” you explained, your nightmares hazing your memories of what actually happened.

“I was gone for a day and a half, any longer and you would have died.” his voice was harsh, but he wasn’t scolding you.

“I found you in the cockpit nearly dead. Why didn’t you try to contact me? Or take a blanket for yourself?”

Your face pressed harder against the Mandalorian’s skin, and you couldn’t help nuzzle against him as you inhaled a scent that was uniquely him. Mando noticed this, and tightened his grip on you, making your heart flutter. He restrained himself from dragging his hands across the expanse of your skin where he wanted to touch you, wanting to feel just how soft, and delicate you are beneath his calloused fingers. Instead he kept his hands to safe places - like at your hips, or on the small of your back to keep you close against him.

“The comms weren’t working. And I gave the baby everything. He’s important.” you stated.

Mando said nothing. But Maker did he want to. He wanted to tell you you’re important too, but he couldn’t make the words leave his mouth. A sigh came from the helmet above your head.

“I’m sorry.” you apologized.

The two of you fell silent, listening to the wind as it howled outside the _ Razor Crest _ , banging against the hull of the ship asking to be let inside, shaking the ship slightly. You could hear the Mandalorian’s heartbeat in your ear as you rested your head on his chest. It was steady, and strong, and quickly lulled you into a drowsiness. You wanted to stay in his arms forever.

“Mando?” you asked, you voice barely above a whisper.

“Hm?’ he hummed below you, the sound vibrating in his chest making you shiver. You liked hearing him hum.

“You took off your armor for me… I know that decision wasn’t an easy one to make… I - thank you. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“Get some sleep mesh’la.” his hand ran over your hair, lulling you back to sleep. 

*

You stir awake some time later, when you feel Mando shift under you. Shifting your weight toward the edge of the cot, you tried to give the Mandalorian as much room as possible. You weren’t sure how he fit in his bunk on a regular basis, and it must have been a tight squeeze now with you in it as well, making it nearly claustrophobic. 

“Come back.” he murmured sleepily. Your cheeks heat up as a smile played on your lips. You moved back to his side, pressing yourself against him, willing yourself to feel his skin against yours. The cold surrounding the two of you barely registered in your mind anymore.

”Mando?” you asked into the darkness.

“Hm?”

When you were quiet for too long, his ungloved hands squeezed your sides lightly, prompting you to get on with what you wanted to talk about. You shifted, afraid to reveal to the Mandalorian that you’re indeed ticklish. But it was too late, he knew your little secret and planned to someday use it to his advantage.

“After we left Nevarro, you asked how I got inside your head when that imp of a doctor drugged me.” you began. Mando stayed silent, waiting for you to continue while his thumb rubbed your side in a calm little pattern.

“I probed your mind.”

“You probed my mind?” he asked slowly. He’s not entirely sure what you meant by what you just said, so he waited for you to explain it. 

You hesitated to explain it to him. You couldn’t even really explain it to yourself if you were honest. When you were a youngling - before you were chosen to be Maldeth’s padawan - your ability to enter people's minds was becoming a bit of a problem for those at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Master Kenobi and Master Yoda had suggested you suppress these powers and channel them into more useful tactics to use in the future. However, their training hadn’t helped to suppress these powers so instead Maldeth embraced them and taught you to hone and control them. By the time you were a Jedi Knight you could control when and where you entered people’s minds. And when Maldeth died, you’d been in so much control you’d rarely had to use your gift of mind probing against anyone.

You couldn’t explain why you had this power, or why you had the Force…and explaining it to Mando seemed impossible. So instead you opted to show him. You raised your hand and let it hover over his chest, near his collarbones. His helmet was still on, and while touching his face would make this easier, his chest would do just fine.

“Can I touch you to show you?” you whispered, afraid to speak louder.

“You want to probe my mind to tell me about mind probing?” the Mandalorian questioned you.

“ _ Oh… yeah _ . I guess that’s kinda dumb… sorry.” you apologized, going to drop your hand. His fingers wrapped around your wrist, holding your hand in place.

“I want to understand and if this is the only way you can explain, then I want you to do it.”

“Tell me if I hurt you.” you instructed him. Your hand pressed against his chest, and you like the way his skin feels against yours.

That same echo of **_home_ ** ebbed through you as you slipped into his mind. He tensed underneath you as you entered his mind. You wanted to be quick, as to not cause him any more pain or discomfort. You showed him images of your childhood before your training with Maldeth. You showed him how you caused pain in the people you mind probed, and then you showed him how extensive and intensive training shaped and molded and morphed your out of control powers into a thing you could control without even thinking about it - much like breathing. You showed him how your powers were limited - how you were only able to put thoughts or images into someone else's head, how you weren’t able to read what others were thinking. 

Having shown him everything you wanted to show him, you began to retreat from his mind until the briefest image of you entered your mind. Mando was thinking about you - back on Nevarro in the doctor’s lab.

Overwhelmed tears slipped down your cheeks, and hit the Mandalorian’s chest as you recalled being in that tiny room on Nevarro, filled with machines and the Child strapped to the operating table with you unable to do anything about it. Your spine constricted as a hot flash of memory seared through your mind of Dr. Pershing stabbing you in the back with that weird cocktail of teal liquid that broke your connection to the Force.

The small droplets of water against his skin was a new feeling to the Mandalorian. It felt like water from the refresher when he showers, but there’s something else to it too. The wetness was concentrated to teeny tiny drops that sat on top of his skin, and collectively pooled together when he breathed deeply. And the tears - your tears - made his heart ache in ways it hadn’t ached since his parents and his planet were taken from him all those years ago before he was taken in by the Mandalorians who saved him.

Mando rolled over and forced you to lie on your back as his hands came to cup your face, brushing away your tears. He brushed your hair out of your eyes, and shushed you. He reminded you that you helped save the Kid from whatever horrible fate he was destined to have had he not shown up in time.

“It hurt,” he revealed to you. The first time you had unintentionally reached out to him through the Force and entered his mind, had hurt and left him with a killer migraine for two days. “But coming back for the two of you was worth it.”

“I’m still so sorry.” you whined, and you could hear just how pathetic you sounded.

“I forgive you mesh’la. You can probe me anytime just don’t make it a habit.” he teases you. You laughed, brushed away your tears before punching his chest. He let out a little playful ‘ _ oof’ _ sound, before rolling onto his back, pulling you with him to keep your close.

“I’m sorry.” you whispered sometime later.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” he replied.

“But there is. The battles… the wars between our peoples… I’m sorry it happened.” you admitted.

“It was a long time ago….” was his only reply. He didn’t have a clue what you’re talking about. You and your Jedi ways were a complete mystery to him. 

“I know, but - but I can feel it sometimes… feel how much you dislike who I am. And I think that’s why I gave you my lightsaber when you fought the Mudhorn, and why I stopped the blaster shot from hitting you.” you rambled. Mando was quiet, listening to your words, trying to figure out how to reply without sounding rude or insensitive.

“I guess I don’t want you to hate me.” you admitted. “I know you’re in a lot of trouble with the Guild for saving us, and being one of your people’s greatest enemies probably doesn’t earn me brownie points with you.”

“I don’t hate you.” Mando whispered, letting his hand slide up your back, before stopping near your shoulder blades. He rubbed his hand back and forth, trying to ease your worrying mind.

You’re quiet for a long time, and eventually drift off to sleep. When your soft snores filtered through his helmet, he repeated his statement and realized that he was falling in love with you. And that thought scared him.

*

You felt his erection poking into your stomach when you awoke again. And after your mind registered his hard-on, your brain also registered the suffocating waves of guilt and disgust and shame that rolled off the Mandalorian and smothered you. You kept your eyes closed, trying to figure out why he was ashamed and feeling guilt - and then it hit you. He was ashamed that he was turned on by you, and your body, and the skin to skin contact.

You swallowed. You didn’t want to make things awkward between the two of you. That was the last thing you wanted. You pushed yourself upwards, so you could look at the ‘T’ shaped visor and not at the bottom of his jaw, half covered by his helmet. His head tipped downwards to look at you.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed you know.” you said softly.

“Stop talking.” he responded.

“It’s a completely…”

“I said stop talking.”

“….normal and natural thing to be…”

“We’re not discussing this.”

“….turned on by intimate contact.”

“I don’t want you.” he snapped.

_ Oh. _

_ That… hurt. _

You could feel your heart drop into your stomach as his words echoed over and over and over again in your mind, shattering you completely.

_ He doesn’t want you _ .

Mando wished he could take those words back. Of course he wanted you, but not like this. Not when he couldn’t give all of himself to you - like you deserve. He saw the way your face falls, embarrassment making your body blush above him.

“Okay.” you said, your voice a little softer than you would have liked.

The two of you stayed like that for a moment, you avoided eye contact with him, while his eyes never left your face. Mando could not believe how  _ “nice _ ” you are about this whole situation. He just told you he didn’t want to have sex with you because he wanted something  **more** than just sex and now you were telling him it was okay…???

He definitely did not deserve you now. 

You rolled away from him, shimmied out of the comforter and gathered your clothes from the floor where Mando had folded them. Tucking them against your bare chest you looked toward the bunk but not at the Mandalorian.

“It’s almost dawn. I’ll check on the Kid.”

And then you walked away, toward the ladder before ascending the rungs to get to the cockpit, leaving the Mandalorian alone with his thoughts.

*

Leaving the Mandalorian alone with his thoughts was… in a sense… a bad fucking idea. The longer he sat alone in his quarters, the darker his thoughts became.

_ He did not deserve you. _

_ He wasn’t worthy of your companionship. _

_ He could not bear to see you die, especially under his watch. _

Seeing you unconscious made the Mandalorian sick to his stomach and afraid - which was an emotion he hadn’t felt in years. How you’d managed to pry the beskar away from his heart and nestle yourself inside, refusing to leave was a mystery to him.

With an angry, dejected sigh the Mandalorian redressed, put on his armor, and braced himself for what he was about to do.

He knew this was the better option for you. He knew you couldn’t stay with him forever on the  _ Razor Crest _ . And eventually you’d become bored and leave him alone… and he wasn’t ready to face that kind of rejection. He wasn’t sure he would ever be ready to let you go.

He had to get rid of you while he still had the chance.

He left his quarters, and began gathering the tools he needed to repair his spacecraft when the sky became lighter. He made a detour to the back of the  _ Crest _ where he stored his bounty in a thick slab of carbonite, before heading out into the cold.

As the sun rose over the horizon, the Mandalorian set to work fixing the few wires that froze during the time he was gone, hoping - praying - that he would be able to get off this planet sooner rather than later.

He refused to let his mind wander to you or the Kid. If he let his mind wander for even a second, he’d convince himself not to let go of you, to not give you the opportunity to have a normal life with a normal boy who could give you everything and more. 

*

While the Mandalorian worked through the snow storm that thrashed outside, you took care of the Kid. After being cooped up in his cot for two whole days the little guy was restless and cranky and ready to destroy everything in sight. 

In order to make it up to the little guy, you made the Child some nuna legs, making sure to save some for the Mandalorian once you were in hyperspace. You were certain he hadn’t had anything tasty to eat since you landed on Hoth. Kriff, he might not have eaten anything since you gave him that bowl of bland-ass bone broth and the little hunk of portion roll. You would bring the food up to the cockpit when the baby got tired again.

When the baby finished eating, you thought about bathing him in the refresher but after feeling the ship shudder thanks to the violent snow drifts outside the metal walls surrounding you, you opted against it. You’d bathe the grubby little goblin on a warmer planet where there wasn’t a threat of freezing solid.

So instead, you took the baby to the back of the cargo hold, and let him play with the metal ball he loved so much. You made it hover in the air, and then you watched as the baby would take over to make it hover in the air. When making the ball float in the air became boring, you opted for story time with the Kid.

“A long time ago, on a planet called Tatooine there was a slave owner who owned two very important slaves. These two slaves were very special, for they both shared a special connection to the Force.” you began speaking, all while gently projecting images of the desert planet, the hot dazzling suns in the skies above Tatooine, and the two slaves you spoke about into the Kid’s mind. The baby babbled in delight when you mentioned the Force.

“Yes, that’s right. The same Force that lives and flows through you and me and every thing in the galaxy.” you agreed with the little tyke, even if you weren’t sure what he had said, or wanted to convey.

“These slaves were strongly connected to the Force, for one had -” you hesitated slightly. You didn’t want to tell the Kid that the Mother of the Chosen One had conceived her son with the Force without the help of an actual man… and trying to have the ‘sex’ talk with a 50 year old toddler was not something you wanted to even think about. That was a conversation for another day, in that far far distant future. 

“One had shared a profound bond with the Force, and the Force granted her a child. And this child was destined for great things. He was destined to bring order back to the galaxy by destroying all the bad guys.” You continued. You showed the Kid a silhouette - the Chosen One, before showing the Kid brief images of stormtroopers and faceless figures that carried red lightsabers. You reached down to your side, and grabbed your own lightsaber.

“You know this?” you asked the baby, keeping the blade off. The baby hiccuped in response. “My lightsaber is white with a blue tint. That means I travel the galaxy protecting people. Especially from the bad guys.”

“It would be many many years before the Chosen One would pick up his own red lightsaber…. but that’s another story for another time.” you said. And so you jumped into the story of the Chosen One and how he came to become a powerful and skilled Jedi Knight and how he fell in love with a queen and senator from Naboo.

When you had finished your tale, you could tell the Kid was tired. Getting your mind probbed - intentionally or unintentionally - took a lot out of both parties involved. The Kid yawned, making you smile. Picking him up, you brushed your fingers over his wrinkly forehead, before kissing him.

“I love you. I know you can’t really understand me, but I hope you know how much I care for you.” you smiled down at him.

The Kid raised his little hand and pressed it against your cheek. Warmth radiated from his three little fingers and into the flesh of your cheek. No. Not warmth, but love. Love radiated from him, like he was answering you. He loved you too.

Happy tears threatened to spill from your eyes as you looked down at him. You hugged the Kid tighter, savoring the love you felt warming your heart. The baby coos tiredly in your ear.

Pulling him away from your chest, you tucked him under one arm, and headed towards the front of the ship. You detoured to the kitchenette and grabbed the plate of food you made for the Mandalorian, putting it in the hand that held the baby to your chest. Ascending the ladder, and stepping into the cockpit you set the baby in his cot and tucked him in for a mid-morning nap after putting the food on the console. You stroked the baby’s long pointy elf ears, and lulled him into a deeper state of drowsiness, hoping to get him to fall asleep faster.

Heavy boots clunked behind you as the Mandalorian ascended the ladder - the repairs he had made to the  _ Razor Crest _ had been completed a few minutes ago. Now all he would have to do was run some diagnostics, and hopefully the  _ Crest _ would be good to fly again.

“So…where to next?” you asked softly as he brushed passed you to get to the pilot’s seat.

“I want you off this ship when we land again.” Mando snarled at you, whipping around to face you. Your face fell and your shoulders tensed up at his tone.

**_“You’re useless to me.”_ ** his words from your dreams echoed around you. Your nightmares resurfaced in your mind, scaring you more than they had in years.

The Mandalorian’s visor filled your vision, as his body crowded and hovered above you. You stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over a grate in the flooring, afraid he was going to hurt you. So much hatred and anger flowed off the Mandalorian and into you. Tears filled your vision as you stared at him. Every possible emotion relating to pain and sadness hit you like a wampa.

Everything was  **_wrong_ ** now. What happened? What broke between the two of you? How had the relationship between the Mandalorian and the Jedi crumpled to nothing after weeks of companionship and budding friendship and tiny sparks of what could be love began to ignite?

The Kid whimpered below you as he sat in his cot, watching you and Mando fought. A wave of distress flowed across your skin, before engulfing you completely. The baby had no clue as to why the two of you were fighting. Guilt ate at the both of you, before being replaced by anger and hurt.

“ _ Fine _ .” you snarled, your face set in a scowl as a few tears betrayed you.

You descended the ladder, and hid yourself away in the refresher. You choked back sobs and whimpers, trying to convince yourself that the Mandalorian’s words didn’t hurt as much as they really did.

You felt  _ everything _ .

It was crushing you from the inside out. An invisible hand wrapped its claws around your lungs and squeezed, letting its sharp talons slowly sink into you making the pain you felt, feel ten times worse. Your sadness and self-pity and pure heartbreak surrounded your head in a cloud of dark blue-gray mist, making you drown in your thoughts. Tears fell freely from your eyes, not that you could stop them if you tried.

And beyond the sadness was the Mandalorian’s distinct signature. His sharp and severe shards of pale yellow and golden ropes of light turn to red hot anger and hatred, which burn in the pit of your stomach, making you nauseous. Bile rose in your throat as your mouth salivated violently, warning you that you were about to vomit. Hunching forward, you clutched at your stomach, and pleaded silently with your body not to vomit.

It took time for your body to block out the emotions assaulting you through the Force. Since your Master sacrificed his life to save yours, you’d been cautious when blocking out the Force. The Force had never failed you, and you knew it never would… so blocking out the sole thing protecting you made no sense in your mind. But now, it was threatening to destroy you from within, and it hurt to put up your mental walls to block it out. It hurt betraying the Force and being betrayed by the Mandalorian.

With several deep breaths, you steadied yourself and blocked out the Force. If the Mandalorian wanted you gone, then you’d leave. You weren’t going to fight him on this, even if you wanted to stay. He no longer owed anything to you. He saved your life and now it was time to move on. Perhaps you’d try and find your way back to Arvala-7 and work for Kuiil again, or maybe you’d travel to the Inner Rim and work at a high end casino or bar. Or maybe you’d melt into the shadows again and wait until the galaxy forgot about you. 

You looked into the tiny mirror above the sink, and wiped away the tears that lingered on your cheeks. You stepped out of the refresher and headed straight to your bunk in the small closet you claimed as your own. You packed a small bag of the few items that belonged to you and then settled down on the ground. You were going to meditate until you arrived at whatever planet the Mandalorian deemed worthy enough to dump you on.

*

The planet the Mandalorian chose was Dulathia - an Imperial planet which had been taken over by the New Republic recently.

The surface of the planet reminded you of Nevarro. It was hot, dry, and smelled of burning magma and raging fires and coal. The only difference between Nevarro and Dulathia was the foliage that seemed to sprout from the dry, dead looking soil. Dead and dry vines and leaves snaked up the sides of the buildings, and took over nearly all of the main square.

The Mandalorian, the Kid and you stood at the edge of the marketplace, watching as people and creatures from all across the galaxy wandered from stall to stall, exchanging credits and chatter as business was conducted.

Straightening your shoulders, you swallowed and stepped forwards a step, before turning around and crouched down before the Kid. Sadness crept upwards and into your throat and tears welled in your eyes. Taking a shaky breath you laughed at your emotions. You’d barely been with the baby and the Mandalorian, and you were going to miss them terribly.

Mando shifted next to you. He knew this was the right thing to do - to let you go and live the life you deserved and not the one he could provide, and yet he was still surprised to see you crying over having to leave them.

Wiping away your tears, you looked at the Child. He stared up at you, his giant brown eyes full of concern and curiosity. He couldn’t understand why you were crying, why you were sad. He babbled at you with his hands raised. Were you crying because you and his Daddy fought? A memory pulsed in your mind: the Kid watching as Mando and you fought in the cockpit of the  _ Crest, _ and then you left. And then watching as Mando sat down in the pilots seat, his helmet in his hands. The memory was gone before you could fully comprehend it.

“No, I’m not crying cause your Dad and I had an argument” you told him. The Kid’s tiny fingers made grabby motions at you, and you had to resist pulling him into your arms. If you did, you weren’t sure you’d be able to let go of him.

“I need you to be good for your Dad okay?” you asked him, keeping your voice low.

The Kid whimpered, and tried to step closer to you. You tensed up and moved backwards, keeping space between the two of you. The Kid whimpered again, his feelings hurt that you wouldn’t let him try to comfort you with his touch.

“You be good okay?” you asked again.

You reached outwards, against your better judgement, and rubbed your fingers against the Kid’s ears. More tears filled your eyes. With a sniffle, you stood up and looked at the Mandalorian. Blinking rapidly to will the tears away, you dropped your gaze from his helmet to his chest plate.

“If he gets fussy when you put him down all you have to do is talk to him. He likes the sound of your voice.” you admitted to him.

He sighed and you weren’t sure if it was an annoyed sigh or a sad sigh. It sounded like a mixture of the two. Mando extended his hands - one grabbing your wrist while the other dropped a small bag into your caged palm. You tried to pull away, but his grip was strong. The small sack of credits felt like a million pounds in your hand.

Your eyes met his behind the visor. Neither one of you spoke as you stared at each other. What could you say in this situation? Only one word could change this entire situation and you both knew that the Mandalorian wasn’t going to ask you to stay. Not after what happened on Hoth in the cold and dark quarters of Mando’s cot.

Mando and the Kid watched you walk away with your shoulders held high. And against his better judgement, the Mandalorian’s eyes fell to your ass as you weaved in and out of stalls and people, before you disappeared completely. And just like that you were gone. He couldn’t get the feeling of your skin against his, out of his mind. His hands fit perfectly against your waist, and he craved the feeling of your weight on top of him. Inhaling deeply, Mando grit his teeth together.

“Come on, we need to get going.” Mando said to the Kid.

The Kid whimpered in question as he looked up at his Dad. Mando looked down at his foundling and sighed again. Deep down he knew he was making a mistake, he just hoped it wasn’t a mistake that would cost him everything this time.

The Kid reluctantly began waddling his way back toward the  _ Razor Crest _ , looking backwards every now and again hoping to see you following after him and the bounty hunter.

*

You had taken your time walking through the marketplace, in hopes of distracting yourself. You purchased a few ration packs and more perishable foods to eat sooner rather than later. And as you passed a small booth, a small brown mudhopper stuffed toy caught your eye. It made you think of the Kid, and how he had a few toys to keep him busy while the Mandalorian was out on hunts. You traded a few credits for the brown stuffed animal and happily walked away with it.

Tucking yourself into an empty corner of the market, you held the toy tightly in your hands. You focused on the weight and texture of the mudhopper toy in between your fingers. And then you thought of your makeshift cot back on the  _ Razor Crest _ , the durasteel shelf covered by an old ratty blanket. You imagined the toy sitting on the makeshift bed - where you and the Child liked to play now - just waiting for the Kid to climb up onto the bed to find it. With a cold rush of what felt like water flowing over you, the toy moved from in between your fingers and onto the  _ Crest _ . You swayed a little bit, the feeling of transferring an object from one place to another taking your breath away for just a moment.

With the toy back on the  _ Razor Crest  _ waiting for the Kid, you smiled. Cracking your neck, you began towards the edge of town in search of a cantina or a place to sleep for the night.

A familiarly bad feeling slithered up your spine as you walked away from the marketplace. Your spine tingled as you moved, the hairs on the back of your neck standing at attention. You could feel someone watching you as you moved away from the hustle of people near the main square. 

You stopped and pretended to adjust your shoelaces, feeling outwards for anyone or anything that could have been a threat to you. Searching blindly through the streets, you lingered momentarily on each being that you ‘passed.’ And then you heard them before you felt them.

“The tracking fob says they're both here on Dulathia. Split up. They can’t be far behind.” spoke a bounty hunter to three others. You knew they were members of the Bounty Hunter’s Guild.

These Guild members split up, and instantly you could feel how close they were to you and your location. Standing quickly, your vision turned to stars for a moment. Blood rushed to your head as you swayed slightly on your feet. You could feel two of the Guild members behind you, talking to stall merchants about whether they’ve seen you or the Kid or the Mandalorian roaming about.

You pressed your back against a terracotta wall, and willed yourself to calm down. There were few places you could run to now. You cursed yourself. You should have opened yourself up to the Force earlier. You peeked around the corner you were hiding behind.

The two bounty hunters - a Rodian and a Kubaz - were still talking with the stall merchant, who pointed in your general direction. This was it. You were either going to be killed, or turned back over to the Client and Doctor Pershing for more experimentations.

Pressing yourself against the wall again, you closed your eyes. You weren’t going down without a fight, and you weren’t going to give up the Mandalorian and the location of the  _ Razor Crest _ … and who said self sacrifices weren’t appreciated. You were sure the Mandalorian would hear about your recklessness someday.

In your mind you weaved through the throngs of people, slipping passed marketstalls and homes, making your way toward the Mandalorian’s familiar sharp presence in the Force. Sharp shards of fractured pale yellow and golden light float all around the bounty hunter as he and the Child walk back to the  _ Crest. _ Tiny green bubbles float upwards around the Kid as he teeters up the ramp. And it was here you realized you could see the Child’s aura for the first time.

Standing behind him, via the Force, you put a hand on his pauldron. He seemed to sense your weight on his shoulder because he stopped at the base of the ramp up to the  _ Razor Crest _ . His helmet turned to look back over his shoulder.

A wave of sadness and guilt washed over you, making you sway against the wall you were leaning against. You shook your head to clear it, and then focused back on the Mandalorian at the other end of town getting ready to leave you behind. He turned around completely and for a moment he stared at you like he could actually see you, like you were there before him and not miles away.

Your grip on his shoulder tightened, and he felt it. You drew in a sharp breath before pushing at his mental walls. He resisted, which sent tendrils of pain rippling through your skull. You pushed harder, sending him images of the other bounty hunters that were in the marketplace behind him. You pushed another image into his mind - one of him getting off the planet with the Kid as fast as he could. Defiance flooded Mando, and you were unsure of the reason.

You heard footsteps coming closer to your location, and with your lightsaber out of commission, fear gripped your chest. In a last stitch effort you pushed into the Mandalorian’s mind again.

**_“Leave. Take the Kid and go. It’s okay. It’s okay.”_ **

You repeated that it’s okay to leave you behind over and over and over again, hoping the Mandalorian would understand that you won’t hold this against him. That you will not hate him after he took off and blasted into outer space. That this wasn’t his fault and that you forgave him even if he could not forgive himself. You tried to tell him through feelings and emotions that it’s okay for him to leave you behind. You lifted your hand off of the Mandalorian’s shoulder, and opened your eyes only to see a blaster in your face.

“Look what we have here Heill… it’s that Jedi bitch that Karga’s lookin’ for.” sneered a Rodian.

“Where’s the Mandalorian?” growled the Kubaz as his own blaster was thrust towards your face.

“He left. Days ago.” you lied. You raised your hands to show you had no weapons on you and that you weren’t a threat to them. You were more valuable to them alive than you were dead.

“Bantha shit. Tracking fobs say you and the Asset are both here now.” snarled the Kubaz - Heill. You were impressed with his Basic, for the only Kubaz you knew spoke in whistles and clicks. But being a part of the Guild, you figured the Kubaz had to learn many languages rather quickly in order to get paid.

“Tell us where the Mandalorian and the Asset are and maybe we will let you live.” spoke the Rodian.

“He’s gone. I’ve been here on my own for days now.”

“Stop lying to me!” the Rodian sneered as he pressed the blaster underneath your chin, making your head tilt backwards. You swallowed and looked at the Rodian with wide eyes.

In a swoop of motion, the Rodian had snagged your lightsaber from your side and tossed it into the middle of the street, away from you as to keep you powerless against him and his buddy.

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t blow your brains out right now?”

“Greef Karga sent you after me right?” you questioned. “Then there’s a pretty big bounty on my head.” The barrel of the blaster dug harder into your chin as the Rodian’s fingers curled around your bicep, pulling you forwards.

The Rodian shoved you towards the Kubaz, but in your transfer the Kubaz missed and you were sent tumbling into the dirt, closer to where your lightsaber lay. All you had to do was get a bit closer, and then you’d be able to grab it and cut your captors down. The only problem was how long the saber would last. The  _ kyber crystal _ was still cracked, and extensive use would crack it more until it couldn’t be used ever again. You prayed to the Force that you’d get out of this in one piece.

“Listen I am worth more to you alive than dead. You don’t wanna kill me.” you said getting to your feet, stepping towards them, trying to get them into a place where you could throw them backwards with the Force.

A tiny red dot hovered over the Rodian’s chest, catching your attention. Your eyebrows knit together as you focused on the little red dot as it circled around the area where the Rodian’s heart was located. Blood splattered everywhere as the sound of a distinct pulse rifle went off, the Rodian falling to the dirt with a thump. You dropped downwards, and called your lightsaber into your hands.

With a click you ignited the blade as the Kubaz began firing at you. You deflected the blaster shots the Kubaz aimed at you as you tried to scamper away from the fighting. More shots rang out from above the heavens, trying and failing to hit the Kubaz. You knew the help from above was another bounty hunter looking to take you in and get the reward for themselves. Waiting around for them to recapture you was not an option.

Shouts from two separate streets before you sparked fear and adrenaline through you. The lightsaber in your hands flickered, making you hyper aware of just how cracked the crystal was and how little time you had left. You had to run - now.

You moved with the grace of water and the fury of fire, striking your blade through the Kubaz’s chest. He howled in fury as his blaster went off in a last stitch effort to take you down with him. The blaster shot ripped through your side, the pain hot and fierce and searing. You froze and willed the pain away with the help of the Force. You could focus on the wound later, right now you have to survive.

A heavy metallic clunk behind you had you spinning around, lightsaber raised to defend yourself with a wild, fearful look in your eyes. You froze for an entirely different reason this time.

Familiar shiny beskar glistened in the light of the setting sun that streamed between buildings as the sun sank lower in the sky. Ribbons and tendrils and vines of golden light accompanied by paler shades of yellow and white surround him, dancing with the light of the setting sun, mixing together to create vast and expansive golden rays of light around him. Mando stood before you, pulse rifle raised at you. Maybe he changed his mind about rescuing you from creepy Dr. Pershing and the Client.

“Drop.” he commanded you.

Your feet gave out underneath you without your permission. A body fell to the ground behind you. Your head whipped around to face the Mandalorian again.  _ He’d come back for you _ . He rushed towards your side, and hauled you upwards, your lightsaber flickering out - the crystal too cracked to work anymore. Together you ran back towards the market place as the last two bounty hunters from the Guild rapidly fired blaster shot after blaster shot at the two of you.

The Mandalorian’s hands wrapped around your side again and pulled you into an alcove for cover. His grip sent spikes of pain up your torso, and the pain was so blindingly hot you nearly passed out.

“What on Jedha are you doing?” you hissed at him. Blaster shots pierced the plaster wall behind you. You had to make a break for it and run or the two of you would die.

“Little womp rat doesn’t like my cooking. He needs you. ”

He was making a joke? At this time? You gawked at him, unsure if you wanted to laugh or scream or kiss him. Maybe all three were appropriate at a different time.

“Ship’s not far. Can you run?” he asked, passing you his blaster. Once the blaster was in your hand you nodded. Mando adjusted the pulse rifle in his own grasp.

“Don’t stop running,” he said..

“Okay.”

You broke off into a sprint, weaving your way in and out of stalls and streets. Your lungs and muscles screamed in agony as you headed towards the  _ Razor Crest _ . You could hear, over the commotion of frightened merchants and civilians, the sound of the Guild members chasing after you and the heavy breathing of the Mandalorian behind you.

You almost wept when you saw the  _ Crest _ when you rounded a corner. Mando’s hand pressed into your back, shoving you forwards faster. Your feet pounded up the ramp with the Mandalorian hot on your heels.

“Protect the Kid.” he ordered you as he ascended the ladder into the cockpit.

You nodded even though he couldn’t see you. You scooped the baby up into your arms, and slammed your hand into the button that closes the ramp.

“It’s okay kiddo.” you whispered to the Kid.

Seconds later, the engines to the ship roared to life, and began to shake as the  _ Crest _ ascended into the sky. After a rather rocky take off, you made it into space with the Guild members scrambling to their own ships to take off after you.

“It’s okay.” you repeated as you moved the baby over to his makeshift bed area next to the refresher, and set him down as you swayed back and forth. The  _ Crest  _ rumbled as Mando maneuvered it into hyperspace. You grabbed the mudhopper toy you purchased for the Child, and handed it to the Kid just moments before your eyes rolled to the back of your head and your legs gave out beneath you.

Darkness crept in as the  _ Razor Crest  _ jumped from parsec to parsec.


	4. Chapter 4: Not A Moment Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mandalorian x Jedi!Female!Reader
> 
> Summary: The planet of Sorgan offers harsh truths to the Mandalorian and You as you try to hide from the bounty hunters persuing you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: a whole lotta blood, blaster wound, medical mumbo jumbo that i make up along the way, sexual references, sexual thoughts but no smut, angst (i tried), fluff, canon violence, me/reader thirsting after Carasynthia Dune, misunderstanding/mistreatment of the Jedi
> 
> Word Count: 26,488 words (UM WHAT???? THIS IS NOT A JOKE)  
> please feel free to read this at your own pace. I know 26k is a lot of words for one chapter  
> edited 1/10/21

Stars zoomed past the  _ Razor Crest _ as it traveled through the empty blackness that filled the void in the galaxy between the stars and planets and black holes. The stars no longer looked like tiny dots of burning gas freckled amongst the sky, but instead looked like streaks of stark white lines creating pretty abstract art out of the front windshield of the  _ Razor Crest _ .

The Mandalorian, the Jedi and the Child had been in hyperdrive for a relatively short amount of time, and were heading towards the unknown to hopefully hide from the ruthless bounty hunters that were always pursuing them, hot on their heels. 

The Mandalorian felt his high of adrenaline beginning to fade, which meant that enough time had passed since taking off from Dulathia. He fiddled with a few instruments, and flipped a switch or two before the  _ Razor Crest _ was put into autopilot. The ancient war ship sailed through open space, steadily making progress toward whatever planet the Mandalorian had programmed into the navigator.

He rose from the pilot’s seat, and moved through the cockpit. He hovered above the ladder leading down into the hull of his ship, listening for you and the Child. It was far too quiet down there. He could hear soft cries and whines coming from the Kid, but he could not hear anything from you. Gazing through the floor with his thermal imaging asset, Mando was greeted with the small heat signature of the Kid inside his makeshift bedroom in the wall. But when Mando shifted his head, he couldn't find your heat signature anywhere below him on his HUD. He dropped down the ladder and turned off his thermal imager. 

Your body lay on the ground in front of Mando’s bunk, a thick pool of blood spreading out from beneath your body. 

Anxiety and adrenaline spiked through Mando. How long had you been down here, unconscious and losing blood? He scooped you up into his arms, and moved you towards your room, pushing past the curtain you’d strung up, and stepped into the supply closet turned bedroom.

He set you down on your bunk and as he pulled away he glanced down - he was coated in a thick, sticky layer of your blood. Blood covered his gloves, his undershirt and pants. Blood dulled the beskar that protected him. 

The Mandalorian cursed, and stumbled away from you. He had to grab something to staunch the bleeding. He moved on autopilot, and a moment later he was crouched next to you again, harshly pushing an old bed sheet against your abdomen. Blood soaked your tunic, and quickly absorbed into the bed sheet. You gasped out a whimper, and moved your hand to rest over his. Mando watched as you tried to weakly push him away from your wounded side.

He managed to stop the bleeding but there was still quite a lot of blood covering you and your bunk, and the Mandalorian himself. He couldn’t know for certain if your wound had stopped bleeding or not. Not until he cleaned you up and got the wound treated and bandaged properly. 

Leaning backward, Mando sat in the doorframe of your room. His breathing was hard, as the anxiety and adrenaline he felt began to reach its climax point. He was going to burn out soon. He needed one moment - only one - to clear his clouded mind and focus on the task at hand: saving your life.

For a brief second, he took in the little alcove you had claimed as yours. You had managed to pry open one of the storage room doors, one that sat directly next to the weapons rack, and next to the Mandalorian’s own bunk, nestled in the wall. This particular storage room wasn’t used for much when the Mandalorian traveled alone, and after landing on a very humid planet while searching for a bounty, the door had rusted shut. And after a dozen failed attempts to get inside, he gave up on trying to open the door altogether. How you managed to open it was a mystery to him.

And while the storage closet wasn’t roomy and spacious - there was enough room to take at least three steps from one wall to the other in every direction. You’d wedged a blanket onto a low shelf to have a makeshift cot to sleep on, instead of sleeping on the floor or an old crate. Above you, were two more thick shelves - both of which were empty apart from a few tools the Mandalorian had forgotten about. Mando was going to have to buy you an actual cot. He couldn’t let you sleep on a durasteel shelf with a flimsy blanket. 

“Din!?” you shouted, shooting up right in your bunk. You nearly smashed your head against the bottom of the shelf that hovered above you, before you dropped back down against the hard cot.

Mando froze. He couldn’t even breathe as he replayed your latest word over and over again in his mind on an endless loop. You had said his name. Very few people in this galaxy knew his true name. 

You’d said his  **_name_ ** .

“Y/N.” he shook your shoulder, trying to coax you from the land of your nightmares and into the present. Din shook his head, trying to get your voice out of his head as it played on repeat.

**_Din. Din. Din. Din._ **

The Child cooed beside Mando, concerned for your wellbeing. You cried out in pain and thrashed violently around in your bunk. You hand cracked across the Mandalorian’s helmet, and a sharp but small snap! echoed in the hull of the ship. Mando was certain you’ve broken a finger. The Kid stumbled backwards and whimpered in fright. He’d never seen you in such disarray and distress before.

Din wrestled you down against the cot, and after fumbling with his utility belt for a moment, he drew out his handcuffs. He slapped the binders around your wrists, and then pressed a button on his vambrace and magnetized the cuffs. Your arms were immediately drawn to the nearest wall that the shelves are bolted to, where the cuffs kept your upper half from jerking around, which could cause more damage to your already injured being.

After making sure you weren’t going anywhere, Mando shifted on his knees. Kneeling for this long, in this cramped place made his joints ache and hurt.  _ Getting old sucked. _ The Child cooed beside him, gathering more courage to come back to your side again now that you were not convulsing and breaking bones against beskar.

The baby clambered up the little makeshift staircase you crafted for him whenever he wanted to join you while you slept, and stared at your crying, unconscious form. He whined, and his eyes got glassy as if he were going to cry too. The Kid clutched the little brown mudhopper toy you’d gotten him to his chest. 

Mando looked at the dark spot at your side. The spot was no longer blooming with fresh blood, but that did not ease Din’s gut wrenching emotions. He feared that you’re still bleeding internally, and that the fabric of your tunic could no longer absorb anymore liquid. He gently grabbed the hem of your dark, blood soaked tunic, Mando pulled it up and away from your body before he reached for his vibroblade to cut through the material. He did not like how heavy it felt in his hands once it was removed, and carelessly discarded on the floor. There was so much blood weighing down the fibers of the cloth. 

**_Din._ ** He still couldn’t fathom you speaking his name.  _ His name _ . The name his mother gave him when he was born. His kriffing name.

The baby let out a whine of distress as he stared wide-eyed at the nasty blaster wound at your side. Din focused again, and sucked in a surprised breath. The wound on your stomach had started bleeding again, and just from the amount of blood alone, Mando can sympathize with you. It must have hurt like a bitch. He’d been in several fights that had left him with some nasty scars, and he already felt guilty for marking your skin like this. You shouldn’t have had to bear scars on your skin while he was around. 

He would have to cauterize the wound or else it would become infected.

How did you not collapse after getting shot? How had you made it back to the  _ Crest _ with him? Din shot to his feet as a dozen questions swirled in his mind. He disappeared from your bedroom and moved toward the main section of the hull. He quickly threw open the curtain to the refresher and hastily grabbed the med kit he had stored there. As his gloved hands grabbed the pack, his mind cleared. He would have plenty of time to think about the  **hows** and the  **what ifs** later.

He returned to your side instantly, and began to staunch the bleeding again. As one hand forcefully held a rag against your abdomen, the other rummaged through the med kit. His gloved fingers brushed against the last bacta shot in the kit. He’d have to restock on the next planet that the three of you landed on.

Twisting the needle cap off of the shot, Din shifted closer to you. With only two hands, very limited space, and nowhere to put the needle down, Din looked at the Kid. He held the needle up to show it to the Kid.

“Don’t touch. She needs this.” he said, his voice is as hard as his armor. Mando set the shot down next to the Kid on the makeshift staircase, with the needle facing away from the tiny toad, before he looked back down at you. He momentarily hesitated. If you’d been awake, he was sure you’d protest the plan he had in mind. A huff of a sigh escaped his lips and snuck its way past the vocoder.

Din rolled you onto your opposite side, making sure to keep pressure on your blaster wound. With some difficulty, Din tugged and tugged your pants down, trying to get to a meatier, fattier part of your thigh or ass. Bacta worked best in juicier, fatter parts of the body, and the easiest place Din could get to right now was either your butt or your thigh, and either one was fine with him, as long as he could administer the bacta.

With his elbow, Din held your pants down to make sure they didn’t snap or slip back up your body. With a couple seconds to spare, Din grabbed the needle with one hand and brought it towards his other hand. After the exchange was made, Din stabbed the syringe into your side, and plunged the bacta into your bloodstream.

You gasped at how cold the bacta felt as it slithered through your veins, cooling any heat or pain you were feeling. Din watched your face, taking in the pinched and pained expression that seemed to cling to your otherwise beautiful features. A soft and subtle micro-expression twitched at your eyebrows - the bacta was doing its job.

**_Good_ ** . the Mandalorian thought. 

A moment later the tension in your body faded away, and all is quiet aboard the  _ Razor Crest _ . The Child watched silently as your breathing evened out, and you fell into a deep sleep. Bacta shots - especially ones that aren’t  _ exactly _ on the market - were a thing of magic. Mando worked quickly now, he removed the needle and adjusted your clothing back to where he found them. And then he delicately wiped away all the blood that clung to your skin. He was careful not to agitate the wound anymore than he had too - but he wanted to be sure and safe rather than sorry when you got a nasty infection from his carelessness. 

Once most of the blood was washed away, Din grabbed the cauterizer and drew in a steadying breath. This was going to hurt you, but he had to close the wound at your side or you were going to die. He had no thread to sew the wound closed, so cauterizing would have to do instead. Din looked down at the Kid with the cauterizer in his hand. He did not want the Kid to see this - to see you like this. He set the cauterizer down on the edge of your bed, and picked up the Kid. The baby cried out in protest, wanting to be by your side to help in whatever way he could.

“She’ll be okay.” Din promised the little guy as he set the Kid down in his bunk, and closed the door with the press of a button on his vambrace. He would have to move quickly now, the little monster from hell was not happy he had been pushed from the action.

Din moved back into your bedroom, and grabbed the cauterizer again. He inhaled deeply, and knelt beside you. He looked at your face and felt his heart break for what felt like the millionth time today. You looked peaceful in your sleep, and Din hated that he was going to disturb it in a second. He flicked on the cauterizer, and began to sear your flesh together.

He went as fast as he could, and gave you a break every now and again when your body twitched or jerked too much. Mando listened to your breathing, noting how it turned from deep breaths to shallow gasps, and each time he knew he needed to give you a break. 

He turned the cauterizer off, and reached for the bacta shot he gave you earlier. He rotated your body again - taking extra care not to put any tension on your freshly burnt skin, and removed your pants again as he administered the remains of the off-the-market bacta shot.

Mando put the medkit away, and rummaged through his clothes for the warmest tunic he owned. He returned to your side and slipped his shirt over your head after he removed his binders from your wrists. Din’s gloved fingers ran over your chafed wrists, and frowned. You must have struggled more than he realized to get away from the pain he caused while searing your flesh closed. He knew the bacta would erase this evidence in a few hours, but it still pained him to know he had left these marks on your skin. 

When you were all bandaged up and re-clothed, Din draped his blanket and his cloak over you to keep you warm while you slept. The bacta shot he gave you should have you knocked out for another couple of hours, giving you plenty of time to rest and for Din to find a safe planet to take refuge on. At his feet the baby babbled, which made you stir in your sleep. How did the Kid get out of his bedroom?

“Let’s not wake your Mom, okay?” Din asked his foundling, before scooping up the tiny yet oversized green toad into his arms.  _ Your Mom _ .  When had you become the Child’s mother in his mind?

“You hungry?” Din asked him.

The baby cooed happily. Of course he was hungry. Little womp rat was always hungry, and was certainly going to eat Din out of the house someday.

*

You stood in the kitchenette with a warm cup of blue bantha milk pressed between your palms. You’d woken up hours ago, with your side throbbing in phantom pains, and your left leg was completely numb from a bacta shot. When you were given a bacta shot, you had no idea. But you did know the Mandalorian had to remove your trousers in order to get the bacta into your system.

The Mandalorian partially disrobing you was not something you wanted.

Okay, it was something you wanted… but you wanted to be conscious and have different results after the fact. You wanted to be shaking after hours of immense pleasure, not shaking due to the fact that high grade painkillers were running through your veins. A numb leg and feeling high off of the off-the-market bacta was not what you wanted.

You had been awake for a couple of hours, and in that time, you’d looked at your wounds, which were nearly healed thanks to the bacta shot Mando had given you. The blaster wound would leave a scar but a scar was better than being dead.

When you finally managed to summon enough energy to push yourself into a sitting position on your cot, you noticed that the shirt covering your torso was not one owned by you. You only owned so many clothes, and this one was far too big to belong to you. The tunic was soft and hung off your shoulder. The dark gray color and the waffle pattern were soft beneath your fingertips when you pulled the sleeves down to cover your hands. You pulled the shirt up to your nose and inhaled. It smelt of beskar steel, sage, and sandalwood. It smelt like Mando. Your heart beat in a random pattern when you realized Mando had given you his shirt to sleep in. You could care less about where your shirt was now.

You focused on the dark gray waffle pattern of Mando’s tunic as you stared down at your hands. After getting over the shock that Mando had given you his shirt to sleep in, you pushed yourself to your feet, packed your bag and made yourself a small drink to give yourself some energy. 

The ship jolted around, making you nearly slosh your bantha milk all over the floor of the  _ Razor Crest _ . Clutching the small countertop, you braced and steadied your footing. When the  _ Crest _ stopped shaking violently, you set your mug down, and went in search of the tiny green goblin and his beskar-clad Dad.

Ascending the ladder to the cockpit, you heard Mando speaking to the Kid. 

“Real backwater skug hole. Which means it's perfect for us. You ready to lay low and stretch your legs for a couple of months, you little womp rat?” Mando asked the Kid. As if to answer him, the Child cooed back.

“No one’s gonna find us here.” Mando concluded.

You were curious about where the Mandalorian was going to leave you behind, but you weren’t eager to talk to him just yet. After the fight you’d had before your little near death experience on Dulathia, and the whole “ _ I don’t want you” _ situation that transpired on Hoth, you weren’t keen on getting your emotions crushed by the best bounty hunter in the parsec again. You descended the ladder, and crawled into your quarters to avoid interacting with anyone for a little while longer.

*

When you awoke -  _ when had you fallen asleep? _ \- the  _ Razor Crest _ had landed on a lush green planet called Sorgan. The side ramp began to lower when you emerged from your room slightly dizzy, with your pack slung over your back.

It was time. You were leaving as soon as you stepped off this ship and onto the moist soil of Sorgan.

“Oh what the hell? Come on.” Mando said to the Kid who stood at his feet, before he descended the ramp.

The Kid looked back at you and babbled happily, as if asking you to join him and Mando as they explored their new home. With a sad smile you began to follow after the Kid and the Mandalorian.

Stepping foot on Sorgan, you turned back to look at the  _ Razor Crest _ . Even though she was a Pre-Empire ship before the Mandalorian acquired her, she was still a thing of beauty and you were going to miss her. Her cold and drafty nooks would be missed, along with the way the lights gave out with no warnings what-so-ever, and kriff even the dodgy water heater in the refresher would be missed. In the short few months you’d been with the Mandalorian and his tiny green son, the  _ Razor Crest _ had become your home and your boys had become your family.

But it was time to say goodbye to them. 

The walk into town was a slow one. The Child was insistent that he walk the entire way, but with his little legs, he quickly made getting there a slow process. And with your body still slightly high off the effects of the bacta that Mando used on you, you slowed down the process as well.

The three of you entered a small cantina, where laughter and conversation filled the air. You hovered behind the Mandalorian, sensing this was where you were meant to leave him. But part of you wanted to stay by his side, to continue to watch over the Kid for him when he needed help.

You watched as he and the Kid walked through the establishment. A few eyes drifted over the shiny beskar that glinted in the sun’s rays that slipped through the slats of wood that constructed the walls and roof of the cantina, but none of their eyes lingered for long.

In fact most eyes followed the baby as he toddled along after his Dad. You heard the Kid’s high pitched yelp as a loth-cat growled at him. As the baby caught up with Mando, you were greeted by one of the bartenders.

“What can I get you darlin’?” he asked you. His hands were busy polishing a few glasses from a cleaning rack behind the bar.

“I’m sorry?” you questioned him, confused. Had he been speaking to you for very long? You hoped not. It would have made you look incredibly stupid. The bacta that was still lingering in your system made you feel slow and heavy. “Oh - uh - information - directions if you can spare them.” 

“Depends on what information you want.” replied the male bartender, a lilting accent hit your ears.

“Any ships leaving anytime soon?” You slid over some credits over to the bartender as your eyes slipped over his shoulder to look at the Mandalorian and the Kid. A woman - a waitress - tentatively approached them, and they began chatting. Saying goodbye to them was going to be the hardest thing you might ever do. Your eyes snapped back to the bartender when he didn't answer you. He turned back to you, after glancing over his shoulder. He had a sad, pitying look on his face as if he knew what you were going through.

“Leave ‘em. Their Creed is more important than breakin’ your heart over ‘em.” he said.

Your face hardened as you squared your shoulders, and straightened your posture.

“I had a sweetheart once long ago, but he needed to leave me behind for his Clan. And I wasn’t going to stop him. I loved him too much.” explained the bartender.

Your gaze was still hard when you looked back at the Mandalorian. You caught yourself staring at him, so you tear your eyes off his familiar helmet. How were you going to say goodbye? Can you really walk away and leave the two of them behind?

“A cargo ship leaves in two weeks time. Dock bay is three miles west of ‘ere. You can’t miss it, it’s the only other port around ‘ere.” said the bartender.

Heavy boots pounded across the wooden floor which caught your attention, and as you looked up you saw Mando rushing passed you.

“Keep an eye on the Kid.” Mando said as he passed you.

Keep an eye on the Kid? Wait - what? Wasn’t he getting rid of you?

“Mando!” you called after him. 

You stared after him, watching as he disappeared behind the curtains leading out of the cantina. The bartender - who shared too much of his life with you - shook his head as you stared after the bounty hunter. However, the woman who had spoken with the Mandalorian jabbed her elbow into his side, making him grunt, as she whispered softly: “leave them alone.

A tiny gurgle resonated from your feet, and as you looked down you saw the Kid toddling along after Mando with a cup of what looked like broth in his tiny three-fingered hands. You moved with the Kid, and followed after the Mandalorian.

The echoes of grunts and moans caught your attention as you and the Kid moved through the alleyways between buildings and huts. You cautiously drew out your lightsaber, and let your thumb hover over the ignition. If it came down to it, you were sure you could force the  _ kyber crystal _ to activate the saber’s blade. You hoped it wouldn’t come down to that though. The roar of the Mandalorian’s flamethrower pulled you and the Kid to a halt.

A woman - tall, gorgeous, and dark-haired - beat the absolute shit out of the Mandalorian. Violent slashes of deep royal blues and smaller cuts of teals float around the woman as she swung the Mandalorian over her and onto his back. The Mandalorian’s own golden aura somehow mixed nicely with the woman’s cool toned aura. And for a second, you realized how nicely gold looks on Mando, and you couldn’t imagine his aura being any other color. 

The two of them twist on the ground, before they drew their blasters, aiming at one another. Your hand tightened on your lightsaber. Were you supposed to step in and help? Mando’s helmet slowly turned towards the two of you as the Kid loudly slurped up his bone broth, watching as his Dad got his ass handed to him.

You stared down at them, with your eyes trained on the woman, waiting for the Mandalorian to tell you if he needed your help or not. With a sigh, the Mandalorian looked back at the woman.

“You want some soup?”

The two of them panted as they peeled themselves off the ground.

You led the Kid back inside the cantina, where you asked the waitress for another bowl of bone broth for the little one. Mando returned to the table with the woman and Child in tow.

*

As Carasynthia Dune sat down with him, she couldn’t help but look over her shoulder at you as you waited patiently at the bar for another bowl for your little kid to eat. She found you beautiful and intriguing - the lightsaber at your hip made her that much more interested in who you are, where you’ve come from and what you’re doing running around the galaxy with a Mandalorian.

“Who’s your friend?” she questioned.

“She’s no one.” Mando growled defensively.

“Oh she’s someone. The lightsaber kinda gives it away.” Cara purred as she glanced over her shoulder to look at you again.

Mando bristled at the way Cara looked at you with a hungry, flirty gaze.  _ No one but him should look at you like that _ . That thought though made him tense up. He had no right to claim you as his to look at. You weren’t something to be lusted after for his viewing pleasure.

Din shifted slightly in his seat. He could deal with his jealous emotions later. But if he kept putting off his emotions he would have a lot to deal with later. He huffed and turned his helmet away from you to look at Carasynthia.

*

After getting the bowl refilled, you walked over to the table, where the woman recounted how she ended up on Sorgan. From what you gathered, her name was Carasynthia Dune, she was an ex-shock trooper, gorgeous and one hell of a fighter.

“Look, I knew you were Guild. I figured you had a fob on me. That’s why I came at you so hard.” Cara apologized.

“Yeah that’s what I figured.” Mando replied, almost sassily.

“Well, you kicked his ass for me. Saved me a lot of trouble.” you smiled down at her as you set a new bowl of bone broth in front of the Kid. Mando’s head tilted sideways, and if the helmet weren’t on you would have seen a look of awe and playful betrayal written on his face. Were you teasing him?

“Well, this has been a real treat…” Cara purred as she stood up from her seat to give to you. “…but unless you wanna go another round, one of us is gonna have to move on and I was here first.”

Cara winked at you before taking one last sip of her own soup before she walked away. Your eyes followed after her retreating form as she left you alone with the Mandalorian. You could feel that your cheeks were hot from Cara’s suggestive comment. Was - was she flirting with you?

“Well, looks like this planet’s taken.” Mando’s voice startled you.

“Where will you go now?” you asked him, still standing.

“Not sure yet. Sit.” he told you. Your eyes flickered to the chair Cara previously sat in before looking back at the Mandalorian.

“Sit.” he repeated. You, perhaps against your better judgement, sat down across from him. The Kid happily slurped down more soup, and burped loudly when the bottom of the bowl was visible. You burst out laughing, and the Child giggled with you, and through your laughter tears you swear you could see the Mandalorian’s shoulder shaking slightly. It had been such a long time since you had laughed so hard. The Kid finished his bone broth, and yawned widely. His large watery brown eyes blinked up at you, and the little green dots of his aura slowed around him, reconfirming that he needed a nap.

“You better get this little guy home for his nap.” you told Mando as you reached over and stroked the baby’s long fuzzy ears. The Baby cooed softly as his eyes began to droop shut.

“We should head back.” Mando agreed with you.

Mando scooped the Child into his arms, and stood from the table you’d been occupying for the past little bit. You watched him stand, and felt your heart crawl into your throat as your chest and shoulders grww heavy. 

This was it. He was going to walk out of this cantina with the Kid, and leave you behind. You tried to swallow down the tears that crept up your throat, as you looked up at his helmet, a few strands of light glinting off the high points of the beskar.

This was it. He was leaving.

“What? Is there something on my face?” he asked, breaking you from the spell of sadness you cast over yourself.

“What?” you asked, eyes growing wide in confusion. Did he just make a joke?

“You were staring. Come on. ” he said, tilting his helmet in gesture to the entrance of the cantina. You could hear the smile in his voice behind the helmet, which only confused you more.

“But I thought… aren’t you getting rid of me?” you questioned him.

“This planet’s taken. The shock trooper won’t take too kindly to you staying.” Mando lied. He did not like the idea of you being with Cara, when you should be with him.

Your drugged out brain could not comprehend all of what Mando was saying. Was he asking you to stay with him? Or was he keeping you around for a little while longer before he found another planet to safely dump you on?

“Come on  _ cyar’ika _ . We’ve got to get our little one home.” he said, offering you one of his hands. Your hand slipped into his, and he helped you stand from the table. You dropped his hand when the two of you exited the cantina, and made the long journey back to the  _ Razor Crest. _

*

Walking up the ramp of the  _ Razor Crest _ just felt right. Like everything in the galaxy was at peace, and that nothing bad would ever happen again. The  _ Razor Crest _ felt like home, and you nearly cried when your feet padded up the ramp way and surrounded by the old durasteel ship.

Mando moved past you, and put the baby in his bunk. Mando gently tucked the Kid in, making sure he was comfortable before he pressed a button on his vambrace to close the door.

He turned to look at you and he noticed how you slightly swayed on your feet. Perhaps the bacta hadn’t fully left your system yet. Mando sighed, and moved towards the back of the ship, going to gather the few things he needed in order to repair some parts of the ship.

“I need to adjust some parts relating to the landing gear, when I finish we can leave.” he told you as you came to stand before him.

“Do you need help?” you asked him, adjusting the pack resting on your shoulders.

“Uh - no. It shouldn’t take me very long. You should rest, your injuries were pretty bad.” Mando said, tipping his helmet down slightly towards the wound at your side. He noticed you hadn’t taken his shirt off, and his chest puffed a little bit as pride swelled within him. He liked seeing your body draped in his clothes - and he knew he would like seeing your body completely exposed to him someday.

“Okay…” you sighed, “but you’ll come get me if you need help right?”

Your eyes don’t meet his behind the visor but Mando was used to it. After years of hiding behind the helmet, he knew it was hard to pinpoint where his eyes would be behind the tinted visor piece.

“Of course.” he promised you. You stepped past him, and walked towards your room, slipping past your curtain after dropping your bag outside your door, disappearing out of sight.

Din’s eyes lingered on the bag, and your voice echoed in his mind.

**_Din_ ** .

He still couldn’t comprehend how you knew his name. He’d never told you his name, so how you knew it puzzled him. He wondered if it had anything to do with the Force, and the strange powers you yielded. With a shake of his head, Din forgot all of the  **_what if_ ** questions he had, and descended the ramp. If he thought any longer on the mysterious subject of  **_you_ ** , he might lose his mind.

You entered your now empty room, and sat down on the shelf you’d called a cot. You looked around the room, thinking of how many nights you spent in here, dreaming up impossible scenarios, battling demons in your nightmares, cuddling with the Kid while wishing the two of you were wrapped in the Mandalorian’s safe embrace.

Your eyes slowly began to droop closed, and you tried to fight off the sleep that wanted to consume you. You maneuvered your body sideways, and rested your head against the flat pillow you’d left behind and let your eyes fall closed.

*

You could hear Mando talking to someone outside the  _ Crest _ as the ramp began to open. You’d initially thought it was the Kid he was talking to, but you’d just put the baby down for the night. The Kid had woken up hours ago, and Mando had let the little guy toddle about to let you rest.

“Come on, let’s head back.” said an unknown voice outside the bottom of the ramp.

“Took us a whole day to get here. Now we have to ride back with no protection, to the middle of nowhere.” complained another man.

Mando stepped up the ramp, and came to stand besides you in the doorway. Mando stopped, and pivoted on his heel. “Where do you live?”

The two unfamiliar men stopped and turned back to look at the two of you.

“On a farm. Weren’t you listening?” asked one of them.

You narrowed your facial reactions, and arched an eyebrow at the man with the attitude, with your hand hovering over the lightsaber at your hip. How dare they sass your Mandalorian. The one with the attitude caught your impervious gaze, and quickly looked away from you.

“We’re farmers.” he finished speaking.

“In the middle of nowhere?” Mando asked.

“Yes…?” the sassy one answered after looking at you. He was intimidated by you… good.

“You have lodging?”

“Yeah. Absolutely.” the other man answered before the sassy one could even think of speaking again.

“Good. Come up and help.” the Mandalorian said, before he stepped passed you. Your head followed him farther into the _ Crest _ , before looking back at the two strange farmers at the bottom of the ramp. With a shrug you welcomed them onto the  _ Razor Crest.  _ You learned their names, for calling them the Sassy one and the Other one seemed rude. The Sassy one was Stoke, while the Other one was named Caben.

The four of you lugged a few crates that the Mandalorian needed onto the droid powered cart they had brought with them. As you dropped off one of the last crates the bounty hunter needed, you noticed the droid piloting the cart had been roughly patched up and repaired. A few of his lights flickered, and a rough ticking noise emanated from its head.

“Oh you poor thing.” you cooed sadly at the beat up droid. Caben and Stoke looked at you as you rubbed the top of the R3 unit’s head. You looked at them with a questioning look.

“What?” you asked them.

“Nothing.” Caben stated a little too quickly. 

You returned to the  _ Razor Crest _ , and ducked into the Mandalorian’s weapons cache. At the bottom of the weapons rack, was a small travelers repair kit. Tucking the repair kit under your arm, you descended the ramp only to find the Mandalorian nowhere in sight.

“Where’d he go?” you asked as you climbed onto the cart and situateed yourself directly behind the beat up droid.

“He said he needed one more thing.” Stoke replied.

You hummed to acknowledge what Stoke has said, but what else could the Mandalorian have needed? You pushed the thought from your mind as you began to dismantle the R3 droid.

“What are you doing?” Caben asked as he peered over your shoulder.

It was hard to work in the dark, and the little lantern that was attached to the cart isn’t helpful at all. With a screwdriver in between your teeth, you tried to answer Caben as best as you could.

“He was stabbed obviously.” you said over the screwdriver, pointing to the puncture hole in the droid’s head.

“Part of his operating hardware was damaged. That’s the ticking sound. If I can repair that, then he’ll be as good as new!” you explained after you dropped the screwdriver from your mouth and into your hand. When you lived on Arvala-7 with Kuiil, you managed to learn quite a lot about how droids - mainly R2 and R3 units - worked. You learned so much from Kuiil and his skilled hands.

You worked quickly, and in relative silence as Caben and Stoke were either too tired or too scared to talk to you. The baby chittered and chats a few times, but he too eventually fell silent again. You dove into repairing the busted droid, and only looked up when you heard a familiar flirty voice that could only belong to Carasynthia Dune.

When you saw her emerge from the treeline with the Mandalorian walking beside her, your cheeks grew hot and you quickly looked away from her when your eyes met. After seeing that the droid was back in actual working order, you stood and stretched on top of the cart before hopping over the side to land on the soft mossy earth.

“You should be good. Have a safe trip home.” you told Caben and Stoke as Cara and Mando continued towards the cart.

“What do you mean? You’re coming with us.” Stoke stated.

You hesitated to answer him because you were not sure if you were going with them or not. Mando hadn’t said you couldn’t go, but he also didn’t say you could.

“I don’t think I’m welcome.” you said, glancing over at the Mandalorian who neared your conversation and could most likely hear everything.

“Please you have to come, we need all the help we can get.” Caben pleaded with you. 

Caben, Stoke and you looked back at the Mandalorian as he stoped on the other side of the cart, to gently rub the top of the baby’s head, which slowly brought him out of his slumber.

“Get in.” he said, directing his words at you.

And that was what led to you sleeping -  _ trying _ to sleep let’s be honest - on the moving cart pulled by the R3 droid, listening as Cara spoke in the middle of the night. You lay in between the Mandalorian and the ex-shock trooper, with your back propped against the pile of crates the Mandalorian needed for some reason. Why this man needed so much was beyond you. You lived out of the rucksack you had found back on Nevarro, which the Baby currently sat inside of. With your eyes closed, and your face a blank mask to give off the illusion of sleep, you listened to the two of them talk.

“So we’re basically running off a band of raiders for lunch money?” Cara asked, as she stared across at your sleeping face, before she looked back at Mando. Your eyes barely opened and settled on Mando.

“They’re quartering us in the middle of nowhere. Last I checked that’s a pretty square deal for someone in your position. Worse case scenario, you tune up your blaster. Best case we’re a deterrent. I can’t imagine there’s anything living in these woods that an ex-shock trooper couldn’t handle.” Mando said, before he leaned backwards, stretching out on the edge of the cart.

Your breath hitched slightly as you stared at him in that position.  _ He looked good enough to eat _ . As soon as that thought crossed your mind, you scolded yourself. As soon as you dealt with the silly little raider problem, he was just going to leave you again - either here or on some other Outer Rim planet.

With a heavy sigh, you tilted your head backwards, and watched the stars pass as the R3 droid maneuvered the cart through the forest.

*

You were jolted awake as the sound of laughing kids assaulted your ears. Peering behind you, over the pile of boxes the Mandalorian refused to leave without, you were greeted by a dozen kids running to greet Caben and Stoke as they returned home.

As you gazed out across the krill farm, hundreds of colorful auras filled your senses. Most of them were purples and greens and blues, which told you that these people were happy here.

“Well, looks like they’re happy to see us.” Mando said as a dozen kids crowded around the baby.

“Looks like.” Cara said as she adjusted herself in her seat.

The Kid was bursting with green balls of energy. He was excited and happy to be around other kids, and not stuck in some metal coffin. He babbled at them as his big eyes stared up at all the new faces he was greeted with.

A dozen villagers came to help remove the Mandalorian’s belongings, which you still did not understand why he needed. Mando slung his pulse rifle across his back, and picked up a crate to take with him as he was shown where he would be staying. The Kid teetered after the bounty hunter and after Cara grabbed her own pack, iwass led away to her lodgings, leaving you on your own.

Your eyes fell back to the krill farm, and the sense of peace and happiness that floated in the air like a perfume, relaxed you greatly. Everything was so beautiful here, it brought tears to your eyes. There were 75 krill pools in the entire village, along with 24 buildings, but you were sure there was more that you could not see from where you were standing, or what you couldn’t feel through the Force.

A teenage boy, perhaps 18 or 19 years of age, tentatively tapped on your shoulder. You turned to look at him as you willed the tears in your eyes to disappear. He was tall, and skinny, and his tunic and pants seemed to look like hand-me-down from older brothers. His hair was shaggy brown, and hung over his eyes, hiding his eyebrows and his aura looked like fluffy maroon clouds. And looking at him closer, you could see a faint resemblance to Caben in him.

“I can show you to your lodgings.” he said, a tentative smile ghosting his lips. In a few years time, you know he was going to be breaking hearts left and right in this village.

“What’s your name?” you asked him as he walked you through the village along the pathways next to the krill pools.

“Baz.” replied the boy.

“You have a lovely home Baz.” you told him. “I have never seen such a beautiful planet.”

“Where are you from miss?” Baz asked, as he stepped up onto a walking platform and headed towards a hut not far from where you see the Mandalorian’s armor glint in the sun. In fact, the hut Baz showed you sat diagonally across from the Mandalorian’s own lodgings.

“I was born on Jedha.” you told him.

“The moon the Death Star blew up?” the boy asked with wide, eager eyes.

“Yes, but I was on Coruscant when it was lost.”

“Coruscant!? Where the Jedi council -” the boy's eyes landed on the lightsaber at your hip, and you see how hard he was trying to keep himself together and not geek out over everything you hadtold him.

“Used to be, yes.”

“You are -” Baz stared at you like the Kid stared at the mudhoppers he wanted to eat. “ - so cool.” Baz breathed.

“Thank you Baz. You’re too kind.” you replied with a small smile. You could tell Baz had a million questions brewing in his mind, and his maroon aura shook with anticipation and excitement.

“Dinner will be served in an hour. Will that be enough time for you to freshen up?” he asked. 

You nodded, and dropped your pack to the ground of the small hut you would occupy for the next little while. As you looked around the room, you noticed that there were items strewn about that gave away that other people used to occupy this space before you came along, and the previous tenants had left rather quickly. Clothes were in piles in small clumps in the corners of the room which led to the refresher, and a dozen various pieces of farming equipment were scattered on the few tabletops inside the hut.

“Baz?” you called out to him as he reached the front door. He stopped and turned to look back at you. “Who lives here?”

“Myself, My Uncle Caben, my Aunt and my three younger cousins.”

“Where are you staying now?” you asked him. You would never forgive yourself if you took their home from them. Certainly you could share their home with them, or sleep somewhere that wouldn’t require you to kick a family from their home. 

“We’re sharing a hut with Varra and her family.”

“Baz, go find Caben and tell him he can return home. I can sleep on the floor.” you told him.

“No!!” Baz exclaimed, before realizing he had to explain himself. “You’re our guests, and we rarely get visitors. It would be considered rude if we didn’t offer our finest accommodations - or what we can spare at least.”

“I’m not going to take your family’s hut all for myself. There’s plenty of room for everyone. If you want I can sleep on the couch.” you gestured to the sofa pushed up against the wall.

“Let me discuss it with Caben.” Baz said. “Dinner is served in the mess hall, you can’t miss the plume of smoke coming from the hut. Remember one hour.”

“One hour.” you repeated, and after he nodded once he left.

You turned on your heel, and looked toward the refresher. A shower might have been nice, but all you really want to do was meditate and forget about all the stress you had put your body through in the past 48 hours. 

You settled yourself in the middle of the hut, with your back pressed against the couch and crossed your legs together. Straightening your spine, you closed your eyes and focused on your breathing. You let your mind go blank and let yourself connect with the Force again.

*

An hour later, your mind was clear and you felt well rested. You stood, cracked your back and opted to leave your lightsaber behind, but strapped one of Mando’s spare blasters to your thigh just in case. While the people of the village seemed nice and peaceful, you knew better than to let your guard down.

It did not take you very long to find the mess hall that Baz told you about. As you stepped inside the large open air hut, your eyes immediately connected with Cara’s. She’s sat at a table with Caben and Stoke, slowly sipping on spotchka. Her shards of dark blues and teals shone a little brighter as her eyes tracked up and down your body before settling on your face. Your cheeks heat up as she smiled at you, and you quickly dropped your eyes to the floor, feeling flustered and confused.

“Y/N!” Baz called out over the hum of voices that float in the air around you. You found him in the sea of people, and slowly made your way towards him. As you weaved your way towards him, you noticed a table full of teenagers and younger kids all eagerly staring at you. 

“What’s all that?” you asked, nodding your head at the dozens of kids eagerly looking at you.

Baz raised a hand to scratch the back of his head, as his gaze fell to the floor.

“I - um - might have a big mouth.” Baz mumbled.

You broke out laughing which made Baz’s cheeks darken to match his maroon aura of clouds. You placed a hand on his shoulder to try and steady yourself as you hunched over and continued to laugh. When you straightened again, you wiped tears from the corner of your eyes and tried to catch your breath.

“If you can show me where I can get some food, then I will gladly tell you and your friends all about my Jedi days.” you tell him once you can speak again.

Baz’s head shot upwards to look at your face, with his own eager smile. “Go sit down, I’ll bring you some food.” and then he took off towards the back of the mess hall in search of the food you required. You could feel someone’s gaze on the back of your head which made you turn around slowly.

Mando sat with Cara, Stoke, Caben and Omera at a table on the other side of the hut. His visor was tilted in your direction as everyone at his table engaged in conversation. Your eyes settled on his visor, and you gave him a small smile before moving to sit with the kids of the village.

As you settled down, the kids around you began to stare and ceased with their own meals and conversations. You had no younger siblings, and never found yourself in the babysitting profession (the Kid being an exception), so dealing and knowing how to act with children was a very foreign thing to you. You felt a little on edge with all those young and malleable brains staring at you. You took note that one kid sat in the middle of a dozen other kids, fiddling with an older looking holoprojector which had clearly seen better days. 

When Baz returned with a plate of bantha jerky, jogan fruit and a tumbler of hydrade for you, you thanked him and waited for him to settle down across from you before you began to speak.

“So what do you wanna know?” you asked, directing your question at Baz, for he was the one who seemed like he had the most questions out of everyone at your table. You slowly brought a slice of the bantha jerky to your mouth and waited for Baz to ask you a question.

“What color is your lightsaber?” asked a girl down the table. You turned your head to look at her, and find a bright red haired 12 year old looking at you with large curious eyes. You were surprised that so many of these kids know about the Jedi. There weren’t many Jedi left in the galaxy, and many had believed the Jedi to be myths. 

“White. It’s my duty as a Jedi Master to serve the Force, to do whatever it asks of me.”

“But I’ve heard of green ones!” another kid piped up.

“And blue ones!” added another.

Your eyes bounced from the red haired girl - Iyu, to a blonde little boy - Xander, to a dark haired girl - Ru, before you settled on the kid playing with the holoprojector. Through the Force, you learnt his name was Doa, and that he liked re-watching old Earthly films that most of the galaxy had forgotten.

“Doa?” you asked, trying to gain his attention. The kid looked up from the holoprojector and at your face.

“Can I borrow your holoprojector? I promise to give it right back.” you promised him.

Doa slid the holoprojector over to you with a nod. You picked up the little device, and placed it in the center of your palm, making sure to hold it flat and out in front of you so everyone could see. Your eyes connected with Baz’s and with a playful - almost giddy smile - you turned on the holoprojector via the Force and showed the children of the village beautiful views of Coruscant, and Jedha, and of Sorgan all from your memories.

“You said  _ Jedi Master _ .” Baz said in awe as he stared past the projection at you.

“I am a Jedi Master.” you replied as you changed the image being projected to a picture of your own master - Cendren Maldeth. The projection of your late Master filled you with pride and sorrow, and you couldn’t help but stare at the Shistavanen that had acted as your father since you were dropped at the Jedi Council’s doorstep when you were only a few weeks old.

“My Master taught me everything the galaxy could offer me. I owe him everything.” you stated, looking back at Baz - who stared at you with a strange emotion strewn across his face.

“Did you ever take a padawan?” Baz asked quietly, as you changed the image to you and your Master practicing your lightsaber training. The children around you were far more interested in the projections you show them than the conversation that you and Baz were engaged in.

“I couldn’t. The Empire…” you trailed off, not wanting to speak of such a heavy subject before such young kids. And even then you do not want to discuss this particular topic with Baz - even if he was curious and had asked about it.

“Did you ever meet Luke Skywalker?” asked a little boy from the other side of the long table.

“No, but I knew his father. In fact, Luke Skywalker’s father was the man who knew I was destined to be a Jedi.”

“You met Darth Vader?” gasped Doa.

“I did.” you responded, turning off the holoprojector before handing it back to Doa after you used the Force to fix some misaligned wires.

“Whoa.” Doa said as his large glass covered eyes stared at you in awe.

“Okay you guys, let’s let Y/N eat.” Stoke said as he came to stand behind Baz.

You smiled kindly at Stoke and brought the tumbler of hydrade to your lips. The drink was cold and went down smoothly, making your skin prickle with goosebumps.

“Oh before I forget!” Baz said as he stood from the table. “Caben would only accept if you slept in my room… without me in it of course.”

“If that’s the only way he’ll accept then I accept.” you stated. Baz smiled and nodded once, before he ran off with Stoke to do who-knows-what.

Most of the children went back to their own conversations, while you ate quickly and in relative silence, only speaking to Doa when he asked you a question while he fiddled with the holoprojector. And in your long moments of silence, your eyes kept drifting back to the Mandalorian and Cara and where they sat across the room.

*

You’d gathered a tray of food for the Mandalorian, and began to walk up the steps to the barn he was staying in when you heard Omera speaking with him, watching as the Kid and the other children of the village played in the setting sunlight. You stepped up to the threshold and poked your head inside the door.

_ Oh. _

Omera had already brought him dinner. You quickly hid the plate behind your back, praying he hadn’t seen it - or you - already. You felt silly as you spied on Mando and Omera, in your crouched position near the front entrance. You watched through the slates of the walls, noticing how brightly Omera’s pink aura radiates around her as she stared at the Mandalorian.

“Yesterday.” Mando answered Omera’s question, one you hadn’t heard.

“I mean in front of someone else.” Omera rephrased her question. Mando moved towards Omera and the open window with a rag in his hands.

“I wasn’t much older than they are.” Mando said, pointing out towards the children playing with the Kid before looking back at Omera as she gazed out the window.

Your lungs stopped moving as you forgot how to breathe. The Mandalorian had never shared anything so intimate with you like that before. Hell, he had never spoken of his life before he was a Mandalorian. You didn’t even know he was a foundling - you’d just assumed he was born into the Mandalorian culture on Mandalore.

Mando’s rich, golden aura melted into a bronzy color, one which made your stomach twist itself into knots.

“You haven’t shown your face to anyone since you were a kid?” Omera asked, her voice full of curiosity and sadness.

“No.” he replied with a small shake of his head. “I was happy that they took me in. My parents were killed and the Mandalorians took care of me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“This is the Way.” Mando recited to her.

“Let us know if there’s anything you need.” Omera said, shifting on her feet as she prepared to leave Mando alone so he could eat.

You moved away before Omera began towards the door, you scrambled off the barn’s porch, and moved towards the children playing with the Kid. You’d set the plate of food you had gotten for the Mandalorian down on the front of someone's doorstep, too ashamed and self-conscious to return it to the mess hall. You wanted - no - needed to forget about the Mandalorian and Omera and your uncertain feelings for him.

“Y/N!” shouted one of the children who had listened to your stories during dinner.

“Iyu!” you smiled at her.

“You know my name?!” she gasped, clearly shocked.

“And I know your favorite color is green like the mudhoppers you like to chase around.” you teased her as you looked down at her. Her mouth hung open like you were the coolest person in the galaxy.

“Can you teach us to wield lightsabers?” asked another kid, one you’d seen at dinner - Dekir was his name.

“Go find sticks about the length of your arm.” you instructed them. The baby chirped at your feet, making you look down.

“Don’t worry. Someday I’ll teach you to wield your own lightsaber.” you promised the little green baby.

A dozen kids scampered off towards the woods in search of sticks. And just as fast as they disappeared, they reappeared with sticks and passion burning in their eyes.

“Gather around little padawans.” you called to them, with a smile burning on your face.

*

Din watched as you took your own stick, and began to playfully teach the children of the village to wield swords - or in this case laser swords. And once the kids began to grow restless with learning, you showed them how to block and gently attack and then the kids were off - yelling and screaming and laughing as they all battled each other.

He ate quietly, munching on bread and slices of cheese and bantha jerky. He watched as you rotate your own stick in your hand, practicing your spins like he had seen you do with your actual lightsaber. His eyes tracked down your body - checking you out - but also searching for your laser sword. The hilt wasn’t attached to your hip like it normally was, but his blaster - the one he gave you on Dulathia - rested against your thigh instead. 

And his eyes slid sideways slightly, checking out your ass. His pants got a little tighter when he thought of you - naked, spread out on his cot in the  _ Razor Crest _ . Seeing you interact with the kids of the village stirred up something within him he had thought he had suppressed and under control. Din knew he had a breeding kink - like most Mandalorians did - but he thought he had that dark and dirty secret buried.

He wanted to see you swollen with his child growing inside you, with a dozen little Djarin’s running around your feet. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with you and the Child as members of his own Clan.

He watched as you stood off to the side, watching and playing referee in case one of the kids took things too far and hurt one another while playing. Baz - the kid that had offered you his room to sleep in when you selflessly refused to take Caben’s entire hut for yourself - approached from the sidelines, brandishing his own stick.

‘“Jedi Master Y/N!” he shouted playfully, gaining the attention of all the kids.

Your head slowly turned towards Baz as he stepped closer to you.

“I challenge you to a duel! Winner gets the bed tonight!” he declared.

Din nearly choked on the water he took a sip of. Did that  **_kid_ ** just flirt with you? Din couldn’t stop the jealous feeling that bubbled up in his chest. The only bed you were going to share was his.

“Are you sure you want to challenge me?” you taunted him as you stepped away from the Kid and moved towards the middle of the clearing you were standing in.

“Of course  _ Master _ . My bed is comfortable and I won’t give it up without a fight.” Baz joked with you.

You raised your stick, and gestured for Baz to come at you. Mando watched as you and Baz playfully ran around the clearing, chasing each other and the other kids of the village, not bothering to take the challenge Baz issued seriously.

As you ran around Din couldn’t help but fall more in love with you. Din knew that his line of work and his loyalty to the Creed prevented him from finding someone he could truly open up to and love completely, but when he looked at your face, at your eyes - he knew you’re the only one he would ever truly love.

Baz fell on his back as several kids tackled him to the ground.

“Yield Baz. I have the high ground.” you stated, pointing your stick at Baz’s chest.

“The bed is yours!” Baz coughed out as the kids scrambled over his body.

You helped Baz to his feet as the children were called home by their parents. You scooped the baby into your arms, and began to walk to Baz’s hut. Your gaze landed on the open window where Din stood covered by shadows, and Din swore you could see him standing there without his helmet on. You shook your head and followed after Baz, moving from Din’s view.

Din sighed as he slid his helmet back on. You were the only one he’d ever love.

If only he had the courage to tell you before it was too late. 

*

You stood next to the Mandalorian and Cara as they addressed the people of the tiny village you were holed up in. The sun was beginning to set, and you could feel how annoyed Cara wass at the information they had gathered on their little recon mission they set out on an hour or two ago.

“Bad news. Can’t live here anymore.” Mando said.

Your head slowly turned to look at him as an unreadable expression crossed your features. If you weren’t so shocked at the Mandalorian’s blunt statement, you would have laughed. Couldn’t he have put it more nicely? Maybe sugar coated it a little? The villagers before you broke out in cries of confusion and anger.

“What?” Caben called out.

“Why?” Stoke questioned.

“Nice bedside manner.” Cara said quietly as she glared at the side of Mando’s helmet. 

“Think you can do better?” Mando asked.

“Can’t do much worse.” Cara said with a sarcastic smile on her face.

Squaring her shoulders she stepped forwards to address the villagers, while Mando leaned against the wall of the barn, putting on a facade of false calmness. Your eyes followed Cara, and Mando could see just how enraptured you were with the ex-shock trooper.

“I know this isn’t the news you wanted to hear, but there are no other options.” Cara began.

“You took the job.” Stoke argued, his people breaking out again.

“That was before we knew about the AT-ST.” Cara shot back.

Your eyes immediately cut from Cara back to Mando, with a clear view of how panicked you looked. An Imperial killing machine was here?

“What is that?” Stoke asked.

“The armored walker with two enormous guns that you knew about and didn’t tell us.” Cara replied.

“Help us!”

“Please!”

“You’re supposed to help us.”

“But we hired you!” the crowd in front of you cried out.

“We have nowhere to go.” Omera said, hugging her daughter. Omera’s eyes cut passed you and looked straight to the Mandalorian lounging behind you. Jealousy bubbled in your chest as you looked at her and watched as her normally orchid pink aura turned a more vibrant shade of hot pink - revealing just how infatuated she was with a certain bounty hunter.  _ Your bounty hunter. _

“Sure you do. This is a big planet.” Cara reasoned. “I mean I’ve seen a lot smaller.”

“My grandparents seeded these ponds.” Caben bickered.

“It took generations!” Stoke added.

Beneath your jealousy, your heart went out to these people. Their home was being taken away from them, much like yours was when Jedha was blown to smithereens.

“I understand. I do. But there are only two of us.” Cara said, and you couldn’t even be bothered to be hurt by Cara not including you on her list of capable people of taking down an AT-ST. Plus she was right, you were not capable of taking down an Imperial walker, not on your own at least.

“No there’s not. There’s at least 20 here!” Stoke argued back.

“I mean fighters! Be realistic!” Cara exclaimed.

“She’s Jedi! That makes 3!” Baz called out. Your eyes cut to Baz at the back of the crowd, with a slightly annoyed look on your face. He couldn’t just go around announcing you were Jedi. There were those out there in the galaxy that wanted to see all of the Jedi dead. You had to be more careful. 

A dozen eyes turned to you, and you shrunk backwards slightly. Mando sat forwards slightly, ready to aid you in whatever way he could.

“We can learn! We can!” someone in the crowd shouted.

“Give us a chance! Please!” another cried out.

“I’ve seen that thing take out entire companies of soldiers in a matter of minutes.”

“We’re not leaving.” Omera argued, her eyes bearing into Mando.

“You cannot fight that thing.” you told her, defeat lacing your words.

“Unless we show them how.” Mando said from behind you.

Cara looked back at Mando and you, with an angry glare on her otherwise beautiful face. With an exasperated sigh, Cara looked back at the people gathered outside the barn before them.

“We can discuss a plan in the morning.”

You stopped listening to what Cara was saying, the only thing you focused on was how Omera starred at Mando, and how he starred in return. People began to disperse for the night, their determination lingering in the air like fireflies.

Baz hovered around for a bit, hoping to walk back to his hut with you but you told him to return home with his younger cousins, and that you’d be there shortly. You had things to discuss with the Mandalorian about the raiders.

Mando, Cara, Omera and yourself moved inside the barn to have a more private conversation, but all you could see is pink radiating from Omera. And when you tried to look away, you saw Mando’s golden aura darken to a bronzy color.

You sat on the floor with the Kid in your lap, letting him play with your fingers and the hem of Mando's tunic, trying to get him to fall asleep. His body was slow and clumsy and clearly in need of sleep, but his mind kept going and going, running at full speed. His aura of energetic green orbs was bouncing all around you, cutting through your own iridescent blue aura. You barely listened as Cara and Mando listened to Omera about where she’d sent people to scout for the raiders. You focused on the Kid, and how he snuggled into your lap, and lazily slapped at your hands with his own.

“Can’t we have Y/N pull the thing down into the extended pond?” Omera asked, making your head snap up at the mention of your name.

“No.” Mando stated gruffly.

“Why not?” you fired back, adjusting the baby to rest in your arms to make it easier to slip him into his cot once he did fall asleep.

“You’d attract too much attention.” Mando stated.

You snorted. “What? Like that beskar doesn’t attract attention?”

“No it doesn’t.”

You opened your mouth to reply, but bite your tongue before anything you’d regret saying could leave your lips. You clenched your jaw, and held your angry gaze on the Mandalorian’s visor. He stared back at you refusing to back down from the little staring contest you’d initiated. His golden aura remained slightly bronzed, but dimed to a deep golden color the longer he stared at you.

“Please, why can’t we use her powers to take down the AT-ST?” Omera asked, placing her hand gently on the Mandalorian’s vambrace.

Your eyes fell to her hand on his arm, and bright pink radiates off of Omera. You tried so hard to keep your face from revealing how hurt you felt when you saw Mando’s aura shift back to the bronze color he’d shown earlier when staring at Omera as he and Cara delivered the news to the villagers. Mando’s helmet tilted downwards to look at Omera’s hand on his arm for a second before raising it to look at her face.

Cara watched as you and Mando bit and snarled at each other, leaning back in her seat to watch the amusing argument take place. Since she’d met the two of you she’d been waiting to see how the two of you acted together. She’d seen the small smiles and constant glances at dinner, and now she got to see how the two of you fought. And through it all Cara was amused, and learning how to be a better friend to both of you. But when Omera placed her hand on Mando, Cara noticed immediately how your demeanor changed.

The two of you had built a careful bond together, and Cara could see that Omera was closing in on your territory - even if you hadn’t claimed the Mandalorian as yours yet. Someone foreign was being introduced to your otherwise strange but somehow normal relationship - someone who could destroy what the two of you had built together - and the thought of losing each other was terrifying to the both of you and Cara could see that written across your face and in how the Mandalorian acted.

“If word got out that a Jedi was here on Sorgan, it’d attract attention. More attention than necessary.” Mando said, and your stomach sank. 

“You’re right.” you admitted, keeping your eyes cast down. “The Jedi are extinct… there are so few of us left. If word got out then every bounty hunter and Imperial agent would flock to Sorgan to get at me.” Your shoulders sagged as you dropped your eyes to your lap, playing with the baby’s little toes as he began to settle down for the night. 

“I can’t let anything happen to you.” you said softly, watching as the Kid’s eyes droop closed.

The hut fell silent as they didn't want to wake the Kid, and everyone eventually moved to return to their own huts for the night. You tucked the Child in for the night, leaving a kiss on the top of his head. He cooed in his sleep, and snuggled with the mudhopper toy you’d bought for him on Dulathia. You smiled down at him before moving to leave the hut.

Mando stood at the front of the door, watching as Omera walked away from him towards her own hut on the other side of the village. His aura is a bronze color again, and you couldn’t stop the scoff that escapes you. He turned and you could tell he’s judging you.

“Goodnight.” you told him, and you really did mean for him to have a good night, but it came out harshly and almost cynically which created a thick tension around the two of you. 

You sighed sadly, and moved past him and quickly made your way to Caben’s hut a few doors down. As you slipped inside, you’re greeted with Caben and Baz and Kreeta playing a game of dejarik. Baz smiled widely when he saw you step inside the hut.

“Care to join my team Jedi Master? Dejarik was invented by the Jedi.” he beamed at you.

“Only a round or two.” you told him as you settled by his, and began to kick Caben and Kreeta’s asses.

In the end, the four of you play well into the night, enjoying each other’s presence.

*

In the morning, Cara and Mando explained their plan to the villagers who were willing to fight. The two of them would draw out the bandits, while you and the rest of the villagers would wait for them to return to defend the farms.

For the next couple of days, nearly everyone in the village was working on one of two projects set up by the Mandalorian and the ex-shock trooper. Half the villagers were working tirelessly to expand the krill pools on the southern side of their settlement, digging the trenches deeper and wider in order to get the AT-ST to fall once it arrived at your borders. And the other half of the villagers focused on cutting down, shaping, and building the barricade that the Mandalorian had asked for.

You made yourself useful by helping with the barricades. By using the Force, you’d levitate the fallen logs into camp, where Baz and a few of his friends would cut them down to size, and construct pillars to reinforce the wall. And once reinforcing the wall, or digging more of the krill pool was done for the day, Cara would train everyone with the spears that Baz and his friends had created from extra wood.

The routine you had was almost normal when it came to preparing for a miniature war. You would wake up, eat breakfast, head into the forest to chop down trees, then you’d levitate the trees back to the village, where they’d be added to the wall. Cara and Mando would do some training and then dinner would be served, and eventually you would collapse into bed at the end of the day.

By the end of the second week, the entire village was ready for their assault on the raiders.

Mando, you and Cara stood before the villagers as the afternoon sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky.

“Okay. Who knows how to shoot?” Mando asked.

Everyone before you looked around nervously. Making you realize that no one knew how to shoot a blaster, until Omera raised her hand. You bit the inside of your cheek - of course she was the only one to know how to use a blaster. With a nod of his head, Mando led everyone to the pile of crates he insisted on bringing with him when you first arrived.

He passed Cara a few blasters, before giving Omera a modified pulse rifle. You stood back to watch everyone as they shot at hung up frying pans. And not surprisingly, nearly everyone missed their own targets - except for Omera.

As her shots hit the frying pan again and again, Mando’s focus shifted to look down at her. And you couldn’t see his face but you could see how his aura went for a deep golden color to an almost bronzy color again.

Jealousy sank its gnarly teeth into your chest, and viciously ripped at your heart. You tore your eyes away from them and clenched your jaw. Electricity hummed around you, and Baz cut his eyes away from his own target to look at you. He felt the sharp electricity in the air that surrounded the two of you, and how it seemed to ebb outwards and away from you in sharp, rolling waves.

_ Of course the Mandalorian would be infatuated with someone as beautiful and strong as Omera. _ You thought, and you couldn’t blame him. If you were in his shoes, you’d be falling for Omera as well. 

Baz quickly dropped his blaster and came to your side, placing a gentle hand on your upper back which pulled you from your jealous state of mind. You looked from Mando and Omera to Baz and back again, before tears filled your eyes and you turned away from them. You walked away, trying desperately not to cry, out of sadness and anger but a few tears fell anyway.

Baz ran after you, wanting to see what was wrong. When the two of you were far enough away from watchful eyes and eavesdropping ears, Baz pulled you to a stop, and wrapped you in a hug.

“What’s wrong Y/N?” he asked as he held you close. At first you were hesitant to accept his kind gesture, but soon you wrapped your arms around him and hugged him back.

“I have to leave. There’s a supply ship leaving tomorrow…” you admitted to him.

The decision to leave had weighed you down for weeks ever since the bartender told you that a supply ship was leaving Sorgan. You knew this was the cowards way out of the awkward and tense situation you had with the Mandalorian. But seeing him look at her, with his aura changing colors made you feel sick to your stomach. You couldn’t stay here.

Baz pulled back slightly, and looked at your face. His hand came to cup the side of your cheek as tears swept down your face. His thumb brushed away the trail of tears, as he tried to comfort you.

“You can’t leave. Everyone in the village loves you. I know it hasn’t been very long, but you’ve become a part of our community. Life wouldn’t be the same without the four of you.” Baz said, his maroon aura mixing with your blue iridescent colored aura, and where they meet in the middle is a dazzling purple combination. He glanced over his shoulder, looking back to where he could see Mando and Omera and the others learning how to use blasters and rifles.

“I know it hurts to look at someone you love looking at someone else.” he said, looking back at you, his voice soft and sympathetic. You could feel that he was telling the truth, and it made you wonder who would break this kid’s heart.

“He’s a damn fool for not seeing what he’s already got.” Baz muttered as he tucked you back against his chest, holding you close to him.

“I don’t have the keys to the secrets of the universe. I don’t know how to get over heartbreak… but I do know that Spice Runner Hard Cider takes the pain away for awhile… and doesn’t leave a terrible hangover.”

You laughed into his shoulder. “As much fun as that sounds, we have things to take care of before we can let loose.”

Baz stayed quiet as he held you, and you welcomed the close contact. The two of you stood there, wrapped in a friendly hug, letting yourselves grow closer together as friends. And little did you know, but a certain Mandalorian stared at the two of you, seething in jealousy as he watched Baz’s arms stay wrapped around your shoulders, keeping you close to him. 

*

As the sun began to set on the third week of your stay in Sorgan, you knew it was time to provoke the bandits. 

You were trailing behind Cara, as she attempted to flirt with you. Okay, she wasn’t attempting. She was  **_doing_ ** and she was  **_succeeding_ ** . And you were becoming flustered and confused by your own emotions.

“We’ll be ready.” you heard Omera say as you and Cara approached Mando’s quarters. 

Your eyes took in the fact that Mando and Omera were staring intensely at each other. Pinks and bronze colors floated around the two of them. You inhaled sharply, which caught Cara’s attention. Her eyes flicked from your pained expression to the two love birds up ahead. You had to look away from them, in case your hurt emotions played out across your face.

Cara and you stopped in front of them, and Cara nodded. Mando descended the small set of stairs, and came to stand before you and the ex-shock trooper. And still avoiding his gaze, you briefly looked back at Omera who looked sad and longingly at Mando as he walked away from her.

*

The bandits camp wasn’t very far away, but waiting for the Mandalorian and Cara to return felt like an eternity.

You were huddled behind the barricades you’d constructed, waiting for Mando and Cara to return. Your nerves began to eat away at your composure. You had opted to use a blaster instead of your lightsaber, for the weapon you’d had all your life was broken and wouldn’t last very long if you had to use it, but using a blaster felt weird.

To distract yourself, you felt outwards through the Force. Everyone was just as nervous and scared as you were, Baz especially. He’d volunteered to watch over the kids that were either too young, or too scared to fight, and he was incredibly jittery. You had reassured him that no one would get past the barricades and to the mess hall where he was guarding the children, but he was still nervous.

The trees creaked in the distance, as footsteps echoed across the land. Cara and Mando slid into their positions besides you.

“This is it! Once that thing steps into the pond, it’s going down!” Cara shouted. Nervous light blue energy crackled around you and the AT-ST’s heavy footsteps thumped across the ground. In the distance, through the trees you could see the walker’s glowing red eyes beginning to creep closer and closer.

“Weapons ready!” Cara called out. Everyone drew out a blaster, or readjusted their grip on their spears. The blaster in your hand felt strange, ever since Mando gave it to you on Dulathia. You were okay with a blaster, and hit everything in your crosshairs unlike stormtroopers, but you were better with your lightsaber.

The AT-ST emerged from the shadows, knocking over trees that had stood for decades, and came into view. It’s dark red eyes would haunt your nightmares for months to come. The AT-ST’s feet stomped on the ground.

“Just a few more steps.” Mando muttered as he waited for the AT-ST to step into the pond. But as the AT-ST raised it’s foot to step into the pool, it hesitated and then stopped moving all together.

“It stopped.” Cara stated. Mando glanced over his shoulder at Omera, double checking that she was okay and in position, and that she was waiting for Cara to call the shots.

Your eyes were assaulted by a bright light coming from the AT-ST.

“Get down. Get down!” the Mandalorian whisper-shouted at everyone. A few people dropped down as the light swept over them, but most remained frozen in place by fear. You watched as the light settled on Stoke and Caben and their shaking bodies. 

A single blaster shot rang out from the AT-ST, blowing one of the krill graineries behind you to smithereens. The townspeople cried out in fear and shock.

“Caben! Stay there!” Omera shouted.

“Hold your positions!” Cara yelled as the AT-ST shifted positions.

Klatooinians shouted from the forest behind the armored walker as they ran through the foggy fields towards the village.

“Open fire!” Cara shouted over their battle cries.

You took a deep breath, and settled your frazzled nerves before aiming your blaster at anything that moved down the barrel of your gun. You continuously pulled the trigger, taking down bandit after bandit as they continued to advance on you. Blaster shots from the AT-ST forced you to duck behind the barricades you’d built in the previous week.

“We gotta get that thing to step forwards.” Mando whisper-yelled to you and Cara.

“I’m thinking.” Cara panted as she took down another raider. Mando used the pulse rifle to blow a Klatooinian to dust as you took down two more behind him.

“New plan.” Cara stated.

“What do you have in mind?” Mando asked.

“Give me the pulse rifle.” Cara stated with her hand open and waiting.

Mando and Cara exchanged weapons, and all too soon raiders were attacking from all sides. You could vaguely hear Cara firing off the pulse rifle - where your chest still ached from the brief scuffle you and the Mandalorian had when you first met - and you could hear Omera yelling at Caben and Stoke to get out from behind their barricade and fight.

“Y/N!” Baz shouted off to your left.

You whirled around, searching through the dark for Baz’s familiar head of fluffy hair. You found him in the midst of the fighting, with blood down his front and his hands shaking with a blaster loosely hanging in his hand. Your heart leapt into your throat when you remembered his assignment. Why was he way out here and not on the other side of the village watching the kids? You reached out through the Force, and felt that the children are still safely hidden in the mess hall with Kreeta watching over them. 

“Baz!” you shouted, moving around the Mandalorian, and took off running.

“Y/N!” Mando shouted behind you as he watched you take off across no man’s land to get to the kid you’d been growing close to.

As you got to Baz, the AT-ST was falling over, ready to squash you and Baz into the ground. Staring wide-eyed up at the falling armored walker, you moved before you could even think. You grabbed Baz by the collar of his shirt, and hauled him towards you and before he could protest, you threw yourself on top of him.

The AT-ST hit the ground with a thud as it sank farther into the krill pond. In a mad dash, the Mandalorian scrambled on top of the fallen walker and threw a bomb inside, the blast coming only seconds later. You threw all the energy you have left into shielding yourself and Baz from the shrapnel that rained down on you all.

With an anguished cry, the bandits scrambled to retreat.

When the dust settled, you looked up at the mess that surrounded you. Everything was on fire, or smoking or broken, but cheers behind you told you that everything was okay. Baz sat up in a daze and looked at you with awe. You’d saved his life.

Omera threw her arms around the Mandalorian in celebration, and as your heart panged with jealousy and longing you knew he’d be happy here with her. He would never be happy with you - his sworn enemy - on the run for the rest of your days.

You stood off to the side, watching everyone celebrating their victory over the raiders as they began to move back to their own homes. Cara made her way through the sea of people, and came to stand besides you, the glow of firelight making her skin glow.

“You did great out there tonight. I don’t think that kid would have made it if you hadn’t covered him.” Cara complimented you. Cara placed her hand on your lower back, grazing over your hip - making you gasp out and jerk away from her. Her eyes grew wide as she spun you away from her, and yanked up your tunic, which was dotted with spots of blood. 

“Shit Y/N.” she cursed as she looked at your back.

She dropped your shirt and grabbed your hand and began to drag you towards her hut before you could protest.

*

“Oh fuck! Cara!” You gasped out, over the drizzle of rain.

Mando’s feet came to an abrupt halt outside Cara’s lodgings. He waited and listened, trying to hear over the pitter-patter of rain. His abdominal muscles clenched together in consternation.

“You’re doing so good.” Cara’s voice reached his ears.

“Cara please!” You moaned out.

Mando’s entire body went numb as his brain finally connected the pieces of the puzzle and how they’ve fallen into place. He knew Cara had a thing for you - kriff she flirted with you every chance she got. But the reality of this situation - of you and Cara having sex after winning the battle against the raiders - made Din’s heart sink.

He knew he cared for you - cared deeply enough that he would lay down his life for you - and he thought you felt the same way. But this changed everything.

A groan - that sounded more pleasurable than painful - filtered through his helmet and penetrated his ears. His hands curled into fists as he stood outside listening to you moan in the rain as Cara pleased you.

How could he have been so dumb? How had he let you slip through his fingers? And while Din wasn’t a very jealous person, he knew he couldn’t compete with Cara. There were so many factors holding him back from giving you everything that you deserved.

A high pitched whine turned into a guttural moan and Din’s knees nearly buckled. Did you just cum? Was that the sound you would make if he were the one drawing orgasms out of your body? With a sound like that you had to have orgasmed. The sound repeated over and over and over again in his mind - just like when you called out his name. He shook his head, trying to knock the sound from his mind, and stumbled away from Cara’s lodgings and headed towards Omera’s home.

He moved on autopilot as he stepped up to her door, droplets of water cascading off his armor. He knocked at her door, and then poked his head inside. On the floor of Omera’s hut was Winta and the Kid, both happily playing with what looked like toys made of sticks and twigs and twine.

“Is everything okay?” Omera asked, her face soft and concerned as she moved to his side.

“Everything’s fine.” Din replied automatically, and Omera could hear how hollow and unconvincing his words were.

“It’s bedtime little guy.” Din said, speaking to the Kid. He whined in protest but yawned a moment later, portraying just how tired he really was.

Din walked the few steps it took to get to the Kid, and leaned down to pick him up. Winta waved at the Kid, and moved to stand beside Omera, her arms wrapped around her mother’s waist. The Child cooed happily as he snuggled into Din’s arm, getting comfortable while letting his eyes droop closed.

“He can stay so you can rest as well.” Omera offered.

“It’s okay, I’ve got him. Thank you.” Din said, turning back to look at them.

He nodded once at them, and then moved from the house. Din dropped his cape over the baby to keep him dry on the walk back to his own hut. His feet began to take him in the direction of Cara’s hut, which was on the way to his, but his feet stopped when his mind replayed your pornographic moans and whimpers.

His mind betrayed him as he pictures you spread out across the floor, sweat glistening across your skin as your chest heaves. He imagined your legs spread wide for him to see, your pussy dripping for him as he slowly dragged his bare fingers across your skin, teasing you, slowly pushing you to the brink of madness.

Rain streaked down the visor of his helmet as he stared down the pathway in the direction of Cara’s hut. His heart ached as the unmistakable feeling of losing you sank deep in his chest and refused to leave. The baby whimpered in his arms, sensing how sad his father felt.

Din sighed heavily, and moved down another pathway towards his hut. He knew he might have lost you to someone else tonight.

*

“Cara please!” You cried out, your fingers digging into the soft sheets of her bed.

The ex-shock troopers' skilled fingers work against your skin, as more beads of sweat broke out across your body and began to slide downwards onto the sheets.

“Shhh you’re almost done.” Cara consoled you.

Tears stream down your face, and blood fills your mouth after biting your lip too hard. With each movement of her fingers, the pain got worse and worse. You’ve never felt this much pain before, but then again you’d always had bacta shot into your veins before having any kind of medical attention.

This was different.

After shielding Baz from the falling AT-ST, you’d been hit with dozens of small fragments of shrapnel from the bomb Mando had tossed inside the metal walker. The shrapnel embedded itself into your back and side, and you hadn’t felt any of it until Cara touched your back gently as everyone was walking back to their huts to settle down for the night as rain began to sprinkle down on the village. 

After hearing your pained gasp, Cara froze. Were you hurt? She immediately moved behind you, and lifted up your shirt. She was met with a bloody mess which reminded her of buckshot from a slugthrower. Cara immediately led you back to her hut, where she quickly laid you down on her bed and began to remove the shrapnel. Every piece she removed felt like hell itself.

You begged her not to give you bacta to ease the pain, some incoherent rambling about you needing to feel the pain or something about the last time you had bacta in your system and how it made you feel drunk, and Cara refused to answer. She didn’t have any bacta spray or patches on her at that very moment, but as soon as she was done removing the foreign objects from your body she was going to run to Omera’s to get some for you.

Your agonized groans filled the air as Cara tried to work as fast as she could, but there were so many small bits and pieces of the metal that the AT-ST lodged inside your skin, that she had to work slowly in order to be absolutely positive she got all the pieces. 

In the middle of removing some of the last pieces of metal from your body, you passed out - which worried and comforted Cara. You were no longer conscious to feel the excruciating pain but you were no longer conscious. She had no idea if you were okay or not. She contemplated getting Mando but after seeing how dark it was outside, even with the clouds and the rain, she figured it best not to disturb him.

Cara made sure you’re out before she ran to Omera’s place. She briefly but effectively explained that you had been injured and needed bacta - and thankfully Omera had some on hand. Cara returned to your side only minutes later, and gave you the bacta you needed in order to heal fully. 

She tucked you into her bed, and settled in for the night on a chair across the room.

*

In the morning, you awoke in an unfamiliar place, wearing nothing on your top half which frightened you. What did you do last night?

“You were injured. Shrapnel from the AT-ST hit you. I patched you up.” Cara said from across the room, sitting in a chair. You jumped, and clutched the bedsheets to your exposed chest.

She stood, and stretched before moving towards her pack, which was slumped against the wall near your feet. Cara dug around inside before pulling out a t-shirt for you to wear.

“Here. This should fit.” she said, handing you the tunic.

“Thank you.” you told her as you slipped the shirt on, and moved to stand. As your feet touched the floor, you no longer felt the effects of the bacta that Cara had given you last night. She must have given you a more on-the-market version of the medicinal drug, unlike the potent version Mando had given you a few weeks ago.

“I need to find Baz, make sure he’s okay.” you told Cara as you slipped your boots back onto your feet.

As you reached the door, you turned back around and looked at Cara, who simply stood at the edge of her bed looking back at you.

“Thank you. You deserve a lot more than just my thanks.”

“I guess you just owe me one.” Cara flirted with you.

“I owe you one.” you agreed, before you slip out the door.

*

Mando had seen every sunrise since he’s been on Sorgan, and this one is magnificent. The sky was full of lilacs and mustard yellows as the sun began to rise over the horizon line. It was a normal sight to see.

You limping down the pathway towards Baz’s hut was not a normal sight to see. Din’s throat closed as he watched you with the Kid in his arms. Your hair was a mess. You were not wearing the shirt you fought in yesterday - in fact Mando knows that t-shirt is Cara’s… which reminded him of the situation he heard you in last night.

Jealousy spiked through his veins as he watched you slip inside Baz’s hut as quietly as you could, and he let the feeling brew within him. Suppressing his emotions over you wasn’t healthy, and wasn’t something Din could do anymore. He had to deal with his feelings for you, but working through his jealousy over you sleeping with Cara might not be the best place to start, but it’s somewhere and that had to count for something right?

~

Weeks passed , and you were sat on the stairs with your back to the Mandalorian and Cara, watching as the children of the village watched as the Kid tried to eat a mudhopper as the sun hung low in the sky. The children cringed as the Kid tried to eat a mudhopper, but spit it out at their disgusted reactions.

You could hear Omera moving inside the barn, shuffling around for something. And a moment later she stepped outside and over to Cara.

“Thank you.” Cara muttered.

“Can I set you something in the house?” Omera asked, the Mandalorian.

“Uh, thank you. Maybe later.” Mando replied. 

“He’s very happy here.” Omera said, and you know she was looking at the Child. You did not have to turn around to know that their auras were changing colors. Tears filled your eyes and obscured your vision as you continued to face away from them. Over the last couple of weeks, Mando had avoided you as often as he could. And for the life of you, you couldn’t figure out what you’d done to deserve the silent treatment from him. You had figured he wanted you to leave, like he’d asked of you when you were on Hoth.

From her spot leaning against the wall outside the hut, Cara could see how heartbroken you truly looked right now. Listening in on Mando and Omera’s conversation about the Child and how he fits in.

“He is.” Mando replied. 

“Fits right in.” Omera said before walking past you and toward the krill ponds to see if anyone needed help.

“So what happens if you take that thing off? They come after you and kill you?” Cara asked from behind you.

“No. You just can’t ever put it back on again.” he answered her.

“That’s it?” Cara teased him. “So you can slip off the helmet and settle down with that beautiful young widow, and raise your kid sitting here sipping spotchka?” 

_ No. No. No. No _ . you begged yourself not to cry.

You shoved yourself to your feet, and moved through the village. You were afraid that you’re going to shatter at any moment, and if you did you would hurt people unintentionally. You just needed to find a safe space in the middle of the woods to meditate and let your heartbreak out.

You found a quiet place just inside the treeline before the village, and settled down on the soft moss that grew over the ground. You sat cross legged, and let your eyes fall closed as you opened yourself up to the Force.

Your mind became blank, and you let the sounds of Sorgan consume and surround you, filling you with the calmness you needed. The wind whistled through the trees, as mudhoppers croaked and splashed in the krill ponds behind you. Your body began to hover a few inches above the ground as your meditation deepened.

A sniper rifle’s barrel filled your vision when you opened your eyes again, making your floating body crash to the floor. The rhythmic beeping of a tracking fob filled your ears as you looked down the barrel of the gun. A Kubaz - one you vaguely recall seeing on your escape from Nevarro - whirred and growled at you, motioning with his gun for you to stand up.

Slowly raising your hands, you slowly shifted to your knees and stood before the Guild member. You knew he was here for you and the Kid, and you’re not going without a fight. You shoved your hand outwards, pushing the Kubaz backwards with the Force as you moved to run away from the village. If you could get the Kubaz far enough away from the Kid, maybe - just maybe - he would take you and forget about the Kid for now.

The Kubaz tackled you to the ground from behind, the hard earth did nothing to soften your fall. You wrestled and thrashed, and snarled as you tried to get the Kubaz off of you. Binders closed over your wrists, locking your hands behind your back. You bucked your hips, trying to knock the Kubaz off of you but his fist connected with your cheekbone making you see stars. The bounty hunter stuffed a heavy rag into your mouth, and crawled off of you to pick up his sniper rifle.

The Kubaz raised his weapon, and began to line up a shot.

From where you lay next to the Kubaz, bound and gagged and dazed, you could see Omera and Mando talking by one of the ponds. You struggled to your knees as you watched them, desperately trying to get to the Kubaz to knock him away from his sniper rifle.

Her hands rested on either side of his helmet, and slowly began to raise it off his head. Your vision was blurred by your tears, ones concocted of sadness and missed opportunities, and unrequited feelings as you watched her begin to remove his helmet. You blinked several times, which wicked the moisture from your eyes and released it down your cheeks in the form of tears.

A blaster shot rang out, momentarily deafening you. The Kubaz’s body fell to the ground in a smoldering heap.

Cara stood behind you with her blaster still aimed at the fallen, smoking Kubaz. She stared disapprovingly down at the dead man, before looking over at you with a similar expression. You spat the gag out of your mouth and glared at the dead bounty hunter as you moved to your feet.

The shuffling of feet caught your attention, which made you whirl around. Mando emerged from the trees with his own blaster drawn. When he saw you and Cara and the fallen Guild member, he quickly made his way toward you and Cara.

After checking to make sure neither you nor Cara were hurt, Mando shoved the dead Kubaz’s body over to reveal the beeping tracking fob. Bending down to pick it up, Mando turned the fob to you where the beeping picked up and then died down again.

“Who’s he tracking?” Cara asked.

“The Kid.” Mando said, looking back towards the farm but he wasn’t quite sure. The fob beeped rapidly when facing you, but also beeped frantically when facing towards the farm where the Kid was. Perhaps this fob - and who knows how many others - had the Kid’s chain code along with your own.

“They know they’re here.” Cara stated, looking at you. You looked away from her, unable to face her sharp tongue and Mando’s disappointment in you.

“Yes.”

“Then they’ll keep coming.”

“Yes.” Mando said as he dropped the tracking fob to the ground, and smashed it beneath his boot.

He turned back to look at you. He could see a bruise forming on your cheek and he could see that your eyes are red and puffy from crying, but he was confused about why you were crying. And he was confused about why you had left so abruptly an hour ago. He’s confused and concerned about you, and he wasn’t sure where to begin. His helmet tilted downwards, taking in the fact that your hands were cuffed behind your back.

“You were just going to let the bounty hunter take you?” he asked, his voice sounded angry through the vocoder. He had no idea the fight you went through to not be taken by the Guild member.

“Better me than the Kid.” you replied snippetly. You hadn’t meant to snap back at him, but the thought of Omera’s hands on his helmet, ready to take his helmet off for him sparked anger and jealousy in your chest.

“Better you than the Kid?” Mando repeated, moving to get up in your face. Anger practically oozed off of him.

“Yeah better me than the Kid. You wouldn’t have noticed anyway.”

“I wouldn’t notice you’re gone?” a condescending tone ripped through the vocoder in his helmet.

“Of course not! You’ve been infatuated with Omera and you haven’t spoken more than 5 words to me since we arrived!” you snapped back at him.

Mando was quiet for a long moment, because he realized you’re right. He hadn’t spoken to you as often as he’d have liked since he touched down on Sorgan. And there was a heavy conversation the two of you needed to have about Hoth, you saying his name, and your attractions to each other before things could become better between the two of you.

“Getting caught solves all your problems. The bounty hunter gets thrown off the course of the Kid for a bit, I waste his precious fuel as he returns me to Karga on Nevarro, and you no longer have to figure out a way to get rid of me. Crisis averted.”

“Do you two always fight like a married couple?” Cara asked from the sidelines.

“No!” Mando exclaimed at the same time you barked out: “Yes!”

Mando whirled his attention back to you.

“I would have noticed you were gone. I do notice when you’re not there.”

“Fuck you Mando. I’d have been long gone, and you wouldn’t have known until it was too late, and not a moment before.”

Mando stared at you as you roughly shoved passed him, heading back towards the village. You could hear Cara’s voice softly speaking to him as you moved away from them.

“How dumb are you?” Cara sharply questioned him as she watched you leave, her look of disappointment dissolving into one of bewilderment.

“What?” Din growled, his helmet whipped back to look at Cara. He’s confused by her soft expression and her hard words.

“You can’t see it?” Cara asked, as she moved her eyes to look at him. He stared at her as silence filled the forest around them. What was he supposed to see? What was she seeing that he wasn’t? What was he missing?

“I could see how much she loved her night with you.” Mando snapped at the ex-shock trooper.

“What?”

“The night after the battle. You took her back to your tent, and the next morning Y/N was limping. You must have shown her a fantastic time.”

“That poor girl is in love with you. And I removed shrapnel from her back from the AT-ST we blew up. I didn’t fuck her.” Cara stated, before moving passed him heading back towards the village.

Din watched her leave with her words ringing in his head.

You were in love with him? 

*

Cara found you a little while later, playing with the Kid in front of one of the krill ponds. You kept your eyes down as she approached, afraid the Mandalorian was with her or not far behind her.

“He’s not here.” she told you as she sank down onto the ground to sit next to you.

You’re quiet, unsure what to say to her. She’d saved your life from the Kubaz, but ‘ _ thank you _ ’ didn’t feel like enough.

“You wanna know how I can tell?” she asked you, making you look over at her.

“Tell what?” you asked.

“That you love him.”

Your face pinched together, as her words reflected how you truly felt.

“That’s his cape tied around your arm right?” she asked, nodding her head at the strip of fabric tied around your bicep.

You glanced down at it and recalled the memory of the Mandalorian giving it to you. 

_ His gloved fingers removed the dirty strip of cloth from your calf with such gentleness you weren’t sure the man was capable of. He ran a warm wet cloth over the healing wound, removing dried blood and earth from your skin. _

_ Once the Mandalorian deemed your wound clean enough, he ripped open a bacta wipe and pressed it over your wound. You hissed in pain, the cool gel substance of the wipe smearing over the raw wound, igniting pain through your nerves. _

_ “Sorry.” the Mandalorian apologized, rubbing his thumb along the side of your calf in a comforting manner. _

_ “It’s fine.” you replied, focusing on anything but the brutal sting that throbbed in your leg. Moments later, the Mandalorian wrapped your leg with a strip of fabric from his cape. _

You waved your hands at the baby, beckoning him toward you. He chirped happily, and began toddling towards you and Cara with a bundle of grass clutched tightly in his little three-fingered hands.

“So what if it is?” you replied, knowing she wasn’t going to drop this conversation.

“Do you know why I have this tattoo?” Cara asked, somehow answering your question. She pointed to the band of red lines around her right bicep. When you had met her, you had wondered what that tattoo meant, but were too afraid to ask about it or offend her.

“It’s the number of drops I made with my platoon. I wear it proudly to show my loyalty to those days, and to remind myself of where I’ve come from. ”

You quirked your brow at her, silently questioning her. What did her tattoo have to do with why you kept a strip of the Mandalorian’s cape proudly on display on your arm? You were quiet as you watched the Kid try to catch a mudhopper, but kept missing. It brought a smile to your face, and lifted your otherwise dampened mood.

“I think you wear that piece of his cape to show others that the two of you are together, and not necessarily in a romantic way but in a loyalty kind of way. You represent him, and the bond the two of you share. You’d do anything for each other, right?. The two of you look out for each other even if you don’t realize it.” Cara explained.

“That doesn’t mean I love him.” you countered, but even you could tell that’s a lie.

“I can also tell by the way you look at him… like he’s the most interesting person in the galaxy.”

Your ears felt like they’re on fire as you looked away from her, knowing she was right. You do love the Mandalorian. You have for such a long time now. You couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment your heart decided that “ _ yeah he’s the one for you. _ ”

It could have been when you first saw him on Aravala-7 when you watched him sleep, or maybe when he accepted your duel to determine your fate. Your heart could have decided you loved him when he removed his armor for you to save your life with his body heat on Hoth. Or it might have been somewhere in between, in the average everyday moments where life on the  _ Razor Crest _ was slow and it was just the bounty hunter, the Child and yourself confined within those metal walls.

“And I can tell by the jealous way you act when Omera is around him.”

“I’m not jealous.” you snapped immediately, staring at her.

Cara raised a brow at you, telling you she didn’t believe you at all. In fact, your sudden reply told her you are jealous. You looked down at the Kid in your lap, playing with your pant leg.

“So what if I am?” you questioned her.

“You should tell him.” she stated as she rose to her feet, and dusted off her ass.

“And when he laughs in my face and tells me to get lost?”

“That won’t happen, but you know where to find me.”

“I don’t love him.” you told her, still trying to convince yourself of the impossible.

“I don’t know…you wear his cape like a wedding ring.” Cara said, before she walked off.

You heard her boots pad away, and once you no longer felt her aura near you, you stared down at the fabric tied around your bicep with conflicting feelings. With hesitant fingers you went to untie the knot in the strip of fabric, but your fingers brushed against the rough fabric you stopped. You couldn’t take it off.

Taking it off felt wrong.

Your hand dropped into your lap, and the baby began to play with your fingers and the few silver rings you wore. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and you could feel anger bubbling in your stomach. Raising to your own feet, you picked the baby up and began making your way towards the mess hall, where you could find someone to watch the Kid before you blew up.

*

Thunder cracked over the sky and the rain hadn’t let up since dinner ended. Din had been awake since yesterday morning, and he couldn’t find a comfortable position to sleep in, so he sat in the dark cleaning his blaster. His little fight with you in the woods replayed in his mind.

_ Crisis averted. _

_ Not a moment before. _

Your harsh words echoed in his mind, and with every repeat Din’s mind sank deeper in whatever self-pitying, scolding pit he’s dug himself into. He couldn’t stop thinking about how mean he was to you on the  _ Razor Crest  _ when the two of you were fighting off the cold and he didn’t know how to control his emotions. He couldn’t stop thinking about you crying out for him as he bandaged you up after you nearly died on Dulathia. And he couldn’t stop thinking about what Cara told him.

_ You love him. _

Did - did he love you in return? _ Of course he did. _

He had to apologize to you. He had to explain himself. He owed you that and so much more.

A knock at the doorway to the barn almost went unheard with the crack of thunder that boomed across the sky. Din got off of the bed quickly to see who needed him at such a late hour. As Din pulled back the curtain, he was greeted with the sight of the boy who has hosted you in his home for a couple weeks.

“Please, it’s Y/N. She’s out in the storm. She’s been there for hours.” Baz said with chattering teeth. The boy was soaked head to toe thanks to the downpour of rain.

“Where is she?” Mando asked, as he stepped onto the porch and into the rain.

“In - in the fields.” Baz chattered, pointing toward where you are. Din could barely see you through the rain, but he could just make out a dark shape moving fluidly in the distance.

“I’ll bring her home.” Din said to the boy, before he disappeared inside to check on the Kid. Baz ran back to his own hut, hoping to dry off before he became any colder.

The little tyke was still fast asleep, and did not appear to be affected by the thunder and lighting that boomed around him. Din adjusted the blankets around the Child before stepping back. Looking out of his window, he sighed.

He could see you in the middle of one of the fields, practicing your swordsmanship. Heavy rainfall distorted his regular vision, but with the help of his HUD, Din could clearly see your rapidly rising body temperature among the cold environment. He sighed, and stepped out of the hut, and began to make his way towards you.

You were somewhere else inside your head as you swung the hilt of your lightsaber around and around. You blocked and thrusted the hilt at invisible opponents, cutting them down with one swoop of your lightsaber’s pretend blade. Rain water practically sizzled off your heated skin as you blocked and moved to obliterate your fake enemies. You twirled and spun, and jumped, dodging imaginary punches thrown your way.

You were  _ angry _ .

You were  _ furious _ .

No.

You were  _ jealous _ .

Just as Cara said. And that made you angry at yourself. You had no claim on the Mandalorian. He was free to love whoever he wanted to, and if it was Omera then that was fine. But you were still angry. You’d seen them together, with her hands on his helmet as if to take it off.

You whirled around, the hilt of your lightsaber braced sideways against the Mandalorian’s chin. Had the sword been ignited, he’d have been dead. He remained impossibly still as his visor stared back at you. You pant heavily as you stared at him, your reflection in his visor distorted by the heavy flow of water running down his helmet. You looked like a wet loth cat, and you know you don’t look good right now.

Thunder cracked above the two of you, rattling the ground. You dropped your lightsaber from his neck, and stumbled backwards. You’d never raised a weapon against him - why were you doing it now?

“Come on.” Mando said over the roar of the rain, holding his hand out towards you.

Your gaze dropped from his visor to his hand before moving back to the visor again. Your confused and jealous brain couldn’t drag itself out of the dark pit it had thrown itself into. Mando should have been furious with you for raising a weapon at him, for trying to kill him.

“Please.” Mando begged you, taking a small step towards you. You took another step backwards, afraid of yourself more than him.

“Y/N.” Mando said, moving in front of you, coming to hold your hands in his.

You let him hold onto you as he led you back towards the barn and out of the rain. You felt like you were floating just outside your body as you stepped out of the rain, and were gently forced to sit on a stool in the Mandalorian’s hut.

He moved away from you, and rummaged through one of the crates he insisted on bringing, and pulled out one of his old t-shirts. He turns around, and returns to your side.

“I have to take your clothes off. You’re all wet.” he explained gently as the rain beat down on the hut.

You felt yourself nod, but didn’t move to help Mando take off your shirt or pants. He placed his spare shirt on the floor next to him, as he knelt before you and began to remove your soaked clothes. He unlaced your boots, and slipped them off before he peeled your socks off your feet before he laid them out to dry.

Din grabbed the edge of the bottom of your tunic and asked you to raise your arms above your head. He averted his gaze as he removed your shirt. He dragged the straps of your bra down your arms, and struggled to unclasp the hooks of your bra. You reached behind you and helped him, letting the bra fall away from your chest. He kept his helmet tilted upwards, keeping his eyes on your face and not your breasts. His t-shirt slid over your head and arms, making you decent again.

Din had you stand in order for him to remove your pants. With his helmet still facing your face, he unbuttoned your pants, and crouched to slide them down your legs. He struggled a bit as the fabric stuck to your skin, but he eventually freed your legs from the wet and heavy fabric. Your hand rests against his shoulder, giving him flashbacks to the time he bandaged your leg with a strip of his cape - which he realized you still wear proudly on your arm. His heart warmed at the thought of you proudly wearing something that belonged to him, something that marked you as his and his alone. 

“Go lie in the bed.” he told you as he stood to his full height again. Your body moved on its own, and soon you were tucked beneath the blankets, falling asleep in the Mandalorian’s bed.

Din laid out your wet clothes to dry, and turned to look back at your sleeping form. He sighed as he removed his own wet clothes, and laid them out. Being this naked - clothed only in underwear - made him feel vulnerable but he’ll be exposed to keep you comfortable. He dug through his belongings and slipped on another spare shirt. He checked on the Kid one more time before he slid into the bed with you safely tucked into his side.

Din lay awake for what felt like hours as the rain continued to beat down on Sorgan. His mind switched between being filled with impossible questions and scenarios to being completely blank. His ungloved hands ran over your arms and shoulders, and softly pets your damp hair in mindless patterns as he let his mind wander.

You whimpered at his side, making him freeze.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You’re angry. Please.” you repeated those words over and over and over again, each time growing quieter and quieter until the Mandalorian could no longer hear words and instead hears pained whimpers. The rain continued to beat down outside the hut. Wind howled, and made the wood creak which made you shudder in your sleep.

He tried to sooth you. He brushed your hair away from your eyes and face, he rubbed your shoulders and arms while trying to coax you out of your nightmares. He whispered sweet meaningful words in Mando’a to you.

When he spoke you seemed to calm down, but another night terror would snatch his calming words away and manipulate them into harsh words - ones that made your heart break and more tears run down your cheeks, spilling from behind your closed eyes, before being absorbed into his shirt.

“Din.” you whimpered, your nightmares twisting his comforting presence into night horrors you never thought you’d be capable of creating.

“Shhh. Mesh’la it’s only a bad dream. You’re okay. You’re okay.” Din whispered in your ear. He rubbed your arms, trying to wake you.

You shook in his arms, the cold from the rain finally caught up with you. Din did his best to share his body heat with you, and with you pressed against his side dressed in one of his tunics, he couldn’t help but think of Hoth and all the shit that went down between the two of you there on that miserable frozen planet.

“Please forgive me.” you cried.

Din sat up slightly now, turning himself fully towards you. He rubbed your arm more, putting more pressure on you to draw you from your sleep.

“Forgive you for what Mesh’la? You’ve done nothing wrong.” Din told you, trying to move your slumber from nightmares to dreams.

“You’re angry…” you mumbled. There was more to your sentence but a loud crack of thunder cut you off. Din had never seen such a storm before. He rolled over slightly to check on the Kid. The little green goblin was still fast asleep despite the raging hurricane bearing down on the hut you’re taking refuge in. Din rolled back over, and cuddled closer to you as the raging weather beat on outside.

“I’m not angry.”

“I’m… trouble.” half your sentence was washed away with the rain.

A little smile crept onto Din’s face. Yes, you were trouble, but he liked it. He liked your specific kind of trouble. It brought him a lot of joy to take care of you and all the ‘problems’ that followed in your wake. He loved the challenges you presented and adored the way you somehow always had a solution to even the bizarrest problems.

A bright flash of lightning flashed across the room, illuminating your tear stained face for a moment before the room was plunged into darkness again. Din cupped your cheek with his bare hand, and rubbed his thumb over your tear trails, trying to erase them. A second later thunder boomed directly over the hut the three of you are sharing.

You woke with a start, but Mando was there to hold you safely against him.

“You’re okay. You had a bad dream.” he told you, planting a kiss on your hair. Your brain was foggy, but you knew he shouldn’t be able to kiss you - any of you. Where the  **_kriff_ ** was his helmet? But then your mind recalled your nightmare.

You tucked your face against the crook of his neck and cried. You knew it was pathetic, but you couldn’t help it. Your tears fell freely as you tried to forget the horrid night terrors that robbed you from your slumber. Sobs racked your body as you clung to Mando, his shirt clutched tightly in your fingers.

“Shhh. It’s okay.” he whispered to you over the roar of the rain.

“You were so angry.” you choked out. “You… I get it.”

Din pulled away from you, and looked down at you in the dark. He knew this was a risky move. If lightning lit up the room again you’d have a few perfect seconds to see his face. Even those few seconds would break his oath to the Creed. His stomach tightened in fear.

“Get what baby girl?” he asked, concern lacing his words.

Your bit back a sob at the nickname he’d given you. He’d never referred to you like this before, but your heart yearned to hear him call you ‘ _ baby girl _ ’ again. Over the roar of the rain and the bouts of thunder, the Mandalorian doesn’t really sound any different than if he had his helmet on. But just to be safe, you kept your head down against the pillow and his neck, and your eyes screwed tightly shut. You were not going to be the one to ruin his oath to his Creed.

“I’m useless to you. You’re right.”

Din pulled you closer to him, as his heart broke. He had no idea what you were talking about, but he knew your nightmares were to blame. He would never tell you that you were useless to him. If the past few months had proven anything, it was that you’re more than useful to him.

“You could leave your life behind - retire from bounty hunting… raise the Kid here, surrounded by people who love him. Start a family, grow old sipping spotchka without the beskar weighing you down. You could build a life here.” you rambled, your brain foggy with sleep.

“I see that way you look at her. And… I want to give you the world, and I can’t do that.” you admitted.

“I look at who?” Din asked, his lips moved against your forehead. His heart beat wildly in his chest. You wanted to give him the world? Could he fall in love with you anymore than he already does?

He still wasn’t sure what you’re talking about. You could have been talking about something that happened in your nightmares… or you could be speaking from the heart and Din wasn’t sure which one is better.

“ _ Omera _ . She’s beautiful. She’s smart. She can hold her own in a fight. She’s not your enemy.” you cried, your voice was strong despite how weak and vulnerable you felt.

Did he look at Omera in a certain way? He knew he stared at you more often than he should have - and he got away with it all the time thanks to his line of sight being hidden by the visor in his helmet.

“You’re not my enemy Y/N. You never have been.” Mando telltolds you, as he ran his fingers over your damp hair. 

He held you close, letting himself get lost in the feel of your skin and hair beneath his fingertips. On Hoth he hadn’t let himself indulge in the feeling of you pressed against his body. He had one mission on Hoth, and that was to warm you up. But now… now Din had the time to embrace the feeling of your weight pressed against the side of his body, of the weight of your hand across his clothed chest. He can feel your soft puffs of hot air fan out across his neck. He loved the feeling of your hair, how the texture felt foreign between his fingers. It felt different from his hair, but somehow familiar as he gently raked his fingers against it. Din’s careful to avoid your back where your wound from the AT-ST shrapnel was finishing healing, but he doesn’t keep his hands off you completely. Your legs were tangled with his, and Din found that he loved being so close to you. He loved the intimate contact between the two of you, and part of him wanted to put the Kid between the two of you, to hold everything he cared about in the universe in his arms.

“I’m sorry for what I said on Hoth. I shouldn’t have said anything.” you apologized a couple minutes later, the scene replayed in your memories. 

**_“You don’t have to be embarrassed you know.” you say softly._ **

**_“Stop talking.” he responds._ **

**_“It’s a completely…”_ **

**_“I said stop talking.”_ **

**_“….normal and natural thing to be…”_ **

**_“We’re not discussing this.”_ **

**_“….turned on by intimate contact.”_ **

**_“I don’t want you.” he snaps._ **

“I should be apologizing to you. I shouldn’t have snapped at you… I shouldn’t have lied to you.”

“Lied to me?” you asked, raising your head slightly, before remembering his helmet was off. You shifted closer to his side, and tucked your head underneath his chin.

“I said I didn’t want you. That’s not true… I just…”

He didn’t finish his sentence - or he did but the deafening boom of thunder above the barn cut him off - which left you to question what the rest of his sentence could have been. All you do know is that he wanted you like you wanted him, and that set your heart beating faster in your rib cage.

“I’m serious Mando. You could stay here and raise the Kid. You’d have a happy life here.” you told him.

“You wouldn’t stay?” he asked, his palms grew sweaty. If he chose to stay would you stay with him? Or would you leave Sorgan like you planned to all those weeks ago? Could you settle down and be happy with a domestic lifestyle with him and the Kid… and maybe a few kids of your own?

“Would you keep me?”

“I wouldn’t let you leave. Besides, you know more lullabies to sing the Kid to sleep thank I do. I need your help with that little hellion.”

Din could feel you smile against his shirt, and it filled his chest with pride to know he was the one who made you smile. His own smile broke out across his lips, and he snuggled closer to you, which reminded him to fix your cot situation on the  _ Razor Crest _ when the three of you returned home tomorrow.

“You wouldn’t stay with Omera?” you asked, your anxieties getting the better of you.

“She’s not the one I want to stay with.” he told you, which melted your heart and made your fears evaporate.

Din listened to your breathing as it began to even out as sleep consumed you again. He knew that when the sun rose, you might not remember this conversation, but he hoped you would. He also realized that while the two of you apologized for your brash behavior, the two of you would eventually have to discuss whatever was brewing between you two. 

He knew he would have to face the fantasy he wanted with you and the Kid and his reality as a Mandalorian. He sighed heavily, and nuzzled further into you trying to commit the feeling of your being pressed against his to memory before he will have to don the beskar again in the morning.

“Nuhoy pirusti ner kar'taylir darasuum.”  **_sleep well my love._ ** Din muttered into your hair before he closed his eyes and fell asleep with you in his arms.

*

It didn’t take very long to pack everything onto the droid pulled cart that Caben and Stoke had first arrived on, but now felt bittersweet to leave. You were sad to leave the kind people of this village behind, no matter how many emotional roller coasters you had gone through. You were indebted to these people for showing you, and the Kid and the Mandalorian such kindness and hospitality. Especially since you weren’t as emotionally stable as you usually were.

You heaved a crate onto the cart, and looked sadly at the Kid. He could feel the sad somberness in the air, just like you could see the slow, sluggish way everyone's auras moved around them. Everyone was sad that the three of you were leaving. And you were sad to go as well. This place was beautiful, and the people here could have become your family.

Baz stood before you, looking lost and sad.

“Do you have to go?” he asked.

“We can’t stay. We put the village in too much danger.” you explained to him.

“But…” Baz tried to protest.

“Baz, thank you for being one of the nicest people I have ever met. I am honored to call you a friend.” you told him before pulling him into a bone crushing hug.

A few moments later Baz pulled away from you, and moved to stand beside Omera and Winta and all the other people who’d come to see you off.

“I know…” you said to the Kid as he sadly whimpered up at you.

Mando stood next to you, dropping another crate onto the cart before he turned to look back at Omera as Winta and a dozen others watched you all pack. Footsteps made you spin around, and you met Cara face to face as she fiddled with her glove.

“Are you sure you don’t want an escort?” she questioned as her eyes raked over your body. Mando leaned down, and picked up another case and set it on the cart.

“I appreciate the offer. But we’re gonna bypass the town and head straight to the  _ Razor Crest _ .” he said.

“Well then,” Cara said as she slung her pack over her shoulder and extended a hand towards the Mandalorian. “Until our paths cross.”

“Till our paths cross.” Mando recited as he clasped his hand in hers.

Cara released his hand, and turned her attention to you. Her dazzlingly, charming smile set your heart ablaze and you couldn’t help but smile back at her, feeling a little like a lovesick puppy.

“Don’t be afraid to kick his ass. He needs someone to remind him of his place in the galaxy.” Cara teased the two of you as she recalled her first encounter with the two of you.

She placed a hand on your bicep, the one clothed in a strip of Mando’s cape and gave it a gentle squeeze. She shared a look with you, one that the Mandalorian did not miss. His head tilted slightly at the intense silent conversation the two of you had in the span of just a few seconds.

“May the Force be with you, always.” you told her, as your cheeks grew hot. With a smile, Cara dropped her hand from your arm, and walked off, heading towards town - which is a half days walk from the village. You hope you would see her again someday.

Winta rushed to the Kid with tears in her eyes. Guilt crawled up your spine and settled against your shoulders. You hated that you had to take the Kid away from such a wonderful place. He deserved a normal, happy life. Winta wrapped her arms around the Kid, and hugged him tightly, which made your eyes water.

“I’m gonna miss you so much.” she muttered into his tunic. The hand at your side reached out for the Mandalorian’s, but he was a few steps away from you speaking with Omera. You willed the tears away, and waited patiently for them, pretending that you hadn’t wanted to take his hand at that soft and heartfelt moment between the Kid and Winta.

“Thank you.” Omera said. Mando nodded at her, and a moment later Winta was by her side, trying not to cry.

Mando picked up your rucksack and his pulse rifle, before walking around the back of the cart. He settled on one side of the end of the cart while you sat next to him, with the Kid next you. A few of the kids waved as the R3 droid began to pull the cart down the dirt path back towards the  _ Razor Crest _ , and then everyone was waving as you slowly disappeared down the road.

*

Taking off from Sorgan happened faster than you anticipated it would. With the help of the Force, you were able to move all of Mando’s weapons crates back onto the  _ Razor Crest _ in record time, and all too soon you were racing through the vastness of space with no true destination in mind.

After making sure the autopilot was engaged, the Mandalorian descended the ladder into the hull with the sleeping Kid in his arms.

“I’m afraid.” you admitted to him as you stood outside your room. You couldn’t bring your eyes off the floor of the hull to meet the expressionless metal of his helmet. You’re going to take a leap of faith and be honest and vulnerable with him. He held the sleeping Kid in his arms, waiting for you to say more.

“The Jedi aren’t supposed to - we can’t have…” you started a few sentences but found you can’t finish them. Not without crying or having to explain  _ everything _ to him, and you didn’t want to do that right now. You wanted to get to the point and tell him the truth about how you felt, but in a split second your courage was gone and replaced with the anxieties you’d conjured up on Sorgan.

“I’ll have to leave again.” you stated, sitting outside the closed curtain to your makeshift quarters, and below the Mandalorian’s bunk.

“Why?” Mando asked as he sank down to the floor to sit with you, his back pressed against the half wall below his bunk. You looked up at him now as he adjusted the Kid to rest more comfortably in the crook of his elbow. Your heart grew as you looked at them. Mando was good with him, and you could see just how good he’d be as an actual father. Playing with the children on Sorgan showed you that.

“Jedi aren’t supposed to form relationships. Not meaningful ones anyway.” you began, and you reached out and stroked the wrinkles on the baby’s green forehead.

You were quiet as you watched Mando stroke the Child’s ears in a soothing repetitive motion. Silence filled the hull - only the steady electrical hum of the engines could be heard in the background. It droned on and on, the only stable thing around for parsecs.

You felt a million times lighter after revealing that truth to the Mandalorian. Confessing - in a backwards kind of way - that you loved and cared for him and the Kid made your heart swell and you entire being felt at peace.

“Do you know a lot about Mandalorian culture?” he asked out of nowhere. His gaze is cast down at the Child in his arms when he spoke to you.

You snorted.

“What? Besides knowing how badass and terrifying you guys can be? I don’t know much.” you admitted. Mando laughed at your words before he slid himself across the floor and came to sit directly next to you. You could feel the heat that radiated from him beneath the heavy beskar armor, and you wanted to press yourself closer to him to absorb it.

“Do you know why we don’t remove our helmets? It’s to ensure the safety of our Clan and ourselves. Mandalorians aren’t one particular race of species. Our religion is a way of life…. it is the Way. The point of the helmet is to signify that we are  _ Mandalorians _ and not what we appear as underneath the helmet.”

You listened to his words as he spoke, and realized it’s about unity and being together, about being one as a Clan. In just a few short sentences he had revealed so much about himself to you. About who he is, what he’s gone through to get him to this point in his life. The respect and awe you have for this fearsome warrior grew by ten folds. You could only begin to imagine what he had seen and done throughout his life.

“But I’ve…” he hesitated for a moment, as if admitting his next few words aloud could make them come true or have horrible consequences. “…I’ve thought about taking off this helmet so many times. About breaking my oath to the Creed and to the Guild. I’ve wondered if all this is worth it. I don’t know a lot about the Jedi and their ways, but maybe you should think about breaking some of their rules and traditions.”

He looked at you as he talked, and watched as his words sank into you as you began to process what he was truly saying. You couldn’t look at him, not when you could feel his eyes burning into you - just as hot and bright as the tendrils of light that surround him and the Kid.

Mando moved to his knees, and after shuffling around, placed the Kid in his room, tucking him in for the night. After pressing a button on his vambrace, the door to the bunk slid shut, leaving you alone with one of the fiercest warriors in the galaxy.

Your head tilted downwards and rested against the pauldron of cold beskar on Mando’s shoulder. The two of you were quiet for a long time. So long in fact, you were almost certain that Mando had fallen asleep with your head on his shoulder.

“All I know is that…. that if it were me…” you gently and slowly raised your hands and grabbed Mando’s right hand that rested against his thigh. Your thumb ran over his gloved palm, rubbing back and forth against the rough fabric, before gliding to move over the leather material that covers his fingers. You only knew he was awake when you heard his breath shake underneath the helmet.

“….if it were me... I’d only take this off on my terms… No other influences.”

“Aren’t you the least little bit curious about what I look like?” He asked, his tone light and teasing.

“Oh I already know what you look like, nerfherder. I bet your ears ache from being trapped inside this metal bucket all the time.” You jest back, teasing him about looking like the Child. He laughed quietly, trying to not wake the Kid, and you laughed besides him. Your hand still held his, and an overwhelming urge to show him how you viewed the world crashed over you. But you quickly squashed that dream down into the ground, knowing now that the Mandalorian couldn’t remove his helmet.

“You have you know.” you told him, as you mindlessly tugged at the bottom of his glove, fidgeting with the hem.

“I have what?” he asked you. His helmet was pointed downwards, watching as you messed with his glove. He wanted you to take the damn thing off, but he couldn’t get his voice to work properly.

“You’ve broken your promise to the Guild. When you came back for us. You chose not to follow the Guild’s rules.”

“You had a hand in it.” Mando teased you. You remembered when he admitted he heard your screams inside his head when you unintentionally probed his mind. A smile brushed over you as you tugged more at his gloved hand. Mando could feel a sense of urgency in your mindless fiddling, and you reminded him of the Kid when he was restless after being cooped up too long inside the metal death trap the Mandalorian liked to call the  _ Razor Crest _ .

“Take off the glove.” he told you. You froze and snapped your eyes up to look at the visor. Your fingers stopped tugging at his glove. The Force whispered to you,  **_show him. He doesn’t have to be alone anymore. He’s not alone anymore._ **

“You can’t - I can’t…” you rambled quietly.

“Take off the glove. It’s fine.” Mando repeated.

You slowly - almost cautiously - lower your eyes back to your joined hands, and reached outwards towards his fingers to grab the ends of his glove to pull it off. You stopped. You cast your eyes upwards again, silently asking if this is really okay for you to do.

Mando nodded down at you.

You slowly pulled his glove off of his hand, before resting it carefully in your own lap. Dropping it to the floor felt rude and disrespectful. Your hands found his again. He held his hand up, waiting for you to take it again. His skin was a faded tan color, which you hadn’t expected. After seeing him inside the beskar, you had kind of forgotten he was actually human underneath all that armor.

His skin was soft and rough and calloused all at the same time, and you wondered how that could be. But you realized that’s just who he was. The Mandalorian at your side was rough and mean and full of jagged edges, but he was also soft and sweet and gentle - like he was with the Kid.

Your fingers lightly traveled over the lines that ran across his palm. And even with the dim lighting you could see cool blue veins running underneath his skin. His hand was warm from being inside the glove all the time, and you wondered how he can do certain things with them on - like solder wire, or feel for a heartbeat.

“Do you know my name?” he asked out of the blue. Your fingers stopped running over his palm as you froze.

“What?” you asked. What kind of question was that?

“Do you know my name?” he repeated, as if repeating the question would clear things up.

“No.” you replied, still confused. You looked at his visor, and began to run through every moment of interaction between the two of you in the past couple of weeks. Nothing jumped out at you immediately, which confused you even more. Why would he ask you if you knew his name?

_ Does he want me to know his name? _ You wanted to ask, and almost immediately regretted it. If he was asking if you already know it, then he probably didn’t want you to know if you don’t.

He drew in a deep breath to answer you, but you cut him off.

“I - I don’t want to know until you want me to share it with me… and not a moment before.” you told him firmly, but softly.

In a moment of stillness and bravery, you dropped his hand and reached for the old strip of his cape you had tied around your bicep. What Cara said about it earlier still echoed through your mind. You did wear it like a wedding ring, as a sign you’re with the Mandalorian until the end - that the two of you were a team despite your races being enemies. The fabric fell from your arm as you brought it up to your face. After securing it at the back of your head, you blindly reach out, and let your hand rest against the Mandalorian’s thigh.

“Okay, take off the bucket.” you told him.

“What?” Mando asked. A little laugh left you.

“Take off your helmet. The Kid’s asleep, and I can’t see anything. I want to show you something.” you admitted to him.

He was quiet for a moment, before he spoke again. “You really can’t see anything?”

“I promise you that I can’t see.”

He was silent for a moment, and then the soft click and a hiss sounded next to you, making you jump slightly. His helmet’s heavy thunk against the ground told you he’d taken his helmet off. He’d actually taken his helmet off for you.

You reached out, blindly feeling for his hand. He grabbed your wrist to keep you from looking like an idiot stumbling around in the dark, and you laced your fingers through his, and gently - very gently - let the Force flow from your palm into his. His fingers tightened around your own as he felt the Force in his mind again.

Din would never get used to the feeling of you entering his mind. Every time was incredibly intimate and strange, and painful. But each time he enjoyed the sting and the stretch of you filling his mind, in fact he looked forward to you probing his mind. You were like a rare Yavin spice he could never get enough of. He was addicted and drunk off of you, and he never wanted to recover from his craving to have you in his life.

Bands of golden light lingered around him as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting in the hull. The light swirled around him like confetti streamers in a lazy breeze, and Din found them strangely beautiful. His gaze turned to you where smaller, softer ribbons of blue iridescent light float around you.

Where your thighs touched, your colors mix together perfectly, as if the two of you were meant to be together. Your lighter hues of blue iridescence, and his darker golds create a perfect balance.

“The colors you’re seeing… they’re your aura. Everyone has one. If you look towards the Kid you’ll see his is green.” you told him.

Mando looked over his shoulder at the closed door, and just like you said, there were a few little green dots lingering and misting through the hatch. Of course the little womp rat’s aura was green like he is. Din looked back at you, and your blindfolded face. He raised his free hand, and gently brushed the back of his gloved fingers against your cheek. You jumped slightly at the contact, but settled once you realized it’s just him.

A moment passed in the silence of the hull and Din stared down at you, with your eyes covered by a strip of his cape. His heart beat steadily in his chest, but he felt nauseous and antsy. And underneath that he felt - he knows - he loves you.

He slipped his helmet back on before he spoke again.

“That’s how you see the world?” he asked, as he raised a hand to untie the blindfold. You grabbed the fabric as it fell from your eyes, and you blinked a couple times as your eyes re-adjusted to the light.

“That’s how I see you.” you told him.

“It’s beautiful.”

The smile that bloomed across your face made Din reconsider what was beautiful in the galaxy, because while the auras you saw are strange and magnificent and pretty, it was your smile that he knew is truly beautiful.

“You know...sharing my lightsaber with you was not something I did lightly. There is a tradition among us called a ‘ _ Concordance of Fealty _ .’ Usually a fealty is shared between two Jedi, but I - you -” 

“What is a  _ concordance of fealty _ ?” Mando questioned you.

“It’s a serious, even sacred bond between two people. The exchange represented the establishment of a reciprocal, master-less learning relationship. But with you it’s different.”

“Different? You aided me when I needed you most.” 

“I didn’t give you my lightsaber to just save your life. I can’t explain it… I just felt like I had to. Like I was meant to.” 

Din squeezes your hand, a silent thank you passed between the small space between your bodies.

“Where are you headed next?” you asked him. It snapped him back to reality. He realized that you didn’t plan on accompanying him to whatever backwater planet he planned to set out for next. You were not coming with him.

He released your hand and cradled your face in between both his palms - one gloved, the other bare. He couldn’t fathom the thought of you leaving him. Not now. Not after everything the two of you have been through.

“Wherever you’re going.” he promised you.

“What about bounty hunters? I - I can’t stay. If I stay they could get the Kid and -”

“I think you’re the only one in the galaxy who knows him like I do. I need you to stay. I don’t want to do this without you.” he admitted.

He slowly pressed the helmet against your forehead, giving you a tiny headbutt before it stayed there, the cool metal resting against your warm skin. You closed your eyes and sighed, letting your hands rest against his breastplate.

“I hate to break it to you, but you’re still my bounty.” he teased you.

“Oh yeah?” you flirted back. He pulled back slightly to look at you.

“Yeah. I’m not giving you up until I get what I’m owed… and not a moment before” the helmet came to rest against your forehead.

“If I recall you were paid a camtono of beskar for me and the Kid.” you smiled at him, looked at where his eyes would be through the visor.

“I haven’t been paid for rescuing you on… five separate occasions.” he told you.

“Five?” you ask, only recounting four. Nevarro, Rodia, Hoth and Dulathia. What was number five?

“Five times.” Mando reiterated.

“If I recall, I saved your life a couple of times too.”

Mando released an amused huff of air, as he pulled away from you and stared at you. His helmet tilted to the side slightly. You could feel your cheeks growing warm as you felt his gaze burning against your features.

“Ni copad gar at stay ti ni ratiin”  **_I want you to stay with me, always._ ** he said as his ungloved hand moved a strand of hair behind your ear.

“What does that mean?” you asked him.

“It means I - I want you to stay. Please mesh’la.” he asked you.

“And what does mesh’la mean?” you questioned him.

“It means beautiful.” he responded.

Your eyes looked into his visor with an unspoken question written across your features.

“You think I’m beautiful?”

“More than you know.” he responded immediately.

You leaned your head against the Mandalorian’s pauldron, and wrapped your arms around his bicep to give him a sideways semi-hug. You would have gone for a real hug, but with the way the two of you were sitting on the floor side by side, it was nearly impossible and it would have hurt your knees.

“You know... I know one word in Mando’a.”

“Oh yeah… and what’s the other one?” Mando asked, looking down at you.

“Mar'eyce.”  **_discovery, something found at last, a state of heaven._ ** you said, your voice soft and gentle over the hum of the ship.

Mando’s chest felt like it’s been kicked in as his eyebrows rose in shock. Where did you learn that word? Again, he was thankful for the helmet and its ability to hide his reactions.

“Where did you learn it?” he asked, trying not to sound unlike himself.

“I don’t know… I must have learnt it as a youngling. Or I learnt it through the Force… but if that was the case then I’d have learnt a lot more than just one word.” you told him, his arm still trapped in between yours.

Din looked at you and realized something as dots connected themselves inside his head - you must have learnt his name through the Force. He wasn’t entirely sure how the Force worked, but he was certain you’d learnt his name through it.

Din continued to stare down at you as you settled against him, letting your eyes slip closed and your body relaxed. And he listened as your breathing became deeper and eventually evened out as you fell asleep with your head on his shoulder.

And he wouldn’t have it any other way.


	5. Chapter 5: In the Galaxy*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takodana is unlike any place you’ve visited in the galaxy. It’s a place where secrets from the past are revealed, futures begin to take place and where two lost souls are brought together in this frightening galaxy.
> 
> Warnings: SMUT!!! (Semi Dom!Din, Semi Sub!Reader, female receiving oral, blindfold use,, Mando’s massive cock, biting, cock warming, creampie) misuse of the Force, a dash of physical affection (hugs, kisses), mutual pining/lusting after each other, dirty talk, discussion of death, discussion of the reader’s past  
> 15,053 words

“Why do we need to go to Chaaktil? That’s Inner Rim - anyone could recognize the Kid or you in a heartbeat.” Mando argued with you, but you didn’t miss the way he said ‘we’ instead of ‘you.’ And you certainly didn’t miss the concerned tone he tried to hide behind the rasp and crackle of the vocoder.  
“I need to find someone.” you semi-answered, semi-avoided Mando’s question - hoping he wouldn’t press further.  
“That doesn’t answer my question.” he stated, stepping closer to you, invading your personal space. So much for that plan.  
He stood just outside your door, just outside of your space. He hadn’t been inside your quarters since you almost bled to death on your back breaking cot. He still needed to tear out those shelves and buy you an actual bed. You deserved an actual bed.  
He couldn’t stop seeing this room - your room - covered in your blood as your life slowly drained out of you.  
And then you’d called out for him - calling him by his name, which he hadn’t heard in years. He’d dreamed of you saying his name every night the two of you were on Sorgan, when the two of you were housed in different locations within the village. But now the three of you were confined to the Razor Crest again, and Mando’s mind was literally consumed with the thought of you.  
You stared up at him, his chest almost touching yours as you breathed in. You could see how he disappeared somewhere inside his mind, his shoulders drew back slightly, and his helmet dipped forwards - closer to your face. His chest moved slower as he took his time to inhale and exhale.  
“Mando?” you asked, placing your hand on his shoulder, just passed his pauldron on his cape. His hand grabbed your wrist roughly, stopping you from getting closer to his helmet. Your eyes widened slightly, startled by how fast he could move in such heavy armor, but you were not scared. Him grabbing your arm was just a natural reflex after years of stopping others from forcefully removing his helmet against his will.  
“Where’d you go?” you asked, your voice soft as you stared up at him with large eyes.  
“Hm?” Mando hummed, confused by your question.  
“What were you thinking about?”  
“You.” he answered honestly as his helmet tilted sideways slightly.  
“Me?” you questioned him, mirroring his actions.  
His hand doesn’t release your wrist, so you were forced to keep your hand pressed against his shoulder. But you didn’t mind the contact, in fact you welcomed it. Ever since you woke up during that thunderstorm on Sorgan, with his lips pressed against your hair, wrapped in his arms, you craved his touch more than anything… but then he shared how sacred his oath to his Creed was and it had crushed whatever hope you had of touching him like that again.  
“Who do you need to see on Chaaktil?” he asked, avoiding your question like you were trying to avoid his.  
Your eyes met his visor as you breathed in, trying to gather the courage to tell him the truth. And in the months you’d been with the Mandalorian, you had never lied to him, and you weren’t about to start lying to him.  
“If I can find an old friend, he can give me directions to an acquaintance who can lead me to a kyber crystal smuggler - one who used to work for the Empire. And if I can find him, then I can build a new lightsaber.”  
Mando released your wrist after you finished speaking, and you were instantly sure he was disgusted by you. You're going to the Empire for help - you’re putting the Kid in so much danger. Guilt flared white-hot in your chest, making you cast your eyes to the floor as a worried expression bloomed on your face. You studied the bolts and sheet metal that made up the hull of the Razor Crest, and you focused on how dirty yours and the Mandalorian’s boots were.  
Running across planets and parsecs made for messy work.  
“What about the tree sap you need?” he questioned you, one of his hands curling into a fist at his side. Your eyes caught the movement and you’re convinced he’s pissed now… but his aura stayed the same: bright but deep golden tendrils and spirals of light danced around him in the doorway.   
“It’s impossible to find. It’s - it’s like searching for a single star in all the galaxy.” you said, your words echoing from a conversation you had had with him a few months ago on this very same subject. But back then things were different… and things were most definitely different between the two of you now.  
“And making an entirely new blade is easier?” he questions you.  
You shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but you knew better and so did he. Neither option was great. The lightsaber you have now was the one you built as a young padawan with Master Maldeth after you had retrieved your crystal from a deep cave within Jedha’s soil. The lightsaber you have now - the broken one that has been with you since the very beginning - was the one you want to die fighting with, the one you want to be buried with. Giving up the one you have now would be like losing a limb, or losing a part of your soul. It was a part of you, and without it you wouldn’t be completely you.  
But Ahch-To was very complicated to find, and finding some of the sap you need from a uneti tree, and then heating it to the right temperature to mend your crystal would take eons. And then there was the possibility of your kyber crystal rejecting the sap, and shattering beyond repair. And that thought frightened you the most.  
And on the other hand, going to Chaaktil, meeting up with an old acquaintance of your Master’s, getting credible and correct information from them, finding another mysterious figure in the galaxy, and then meeting up with an ex-Imperial smuggler to get a new kyber crystal… well that was more work and risk than you needed right now.  
But a Jedi without a lightsaber was like a cantina without booze, or a Mandalorian without their weapons. One came with the other. They were a package deal. So, to answer Mando’s question: no, it is not easier to build a new lightsaber.  
His gloved fingers hooked under your chin to gently forced your face upwards to look at his visor. His thumb rested against your chin, barely brushing against your lower lip. His grip under your chin is soft but firm, and you can’t help how your heart beats erratically at the soft but demanding contact.   
“We can figure it out. You don’t have to build a new lightsaber.” he said ending whatever retort you had planned to fire back with. His hand dropped from your chin, and you saw him hold up one finger, motioning for you to wait where you are. He stepped away from your room, and opened the weapons rack just outside the door to your small quarters.  
You froze immediately and kept yourself as still as possible for him. You could feel your body temperature rising as your lower stomach began to burn. You shifted slightly, squeezing your thighs together and praying to the Maker that the Mandalorian did not have his thermal imaging asset engaged in his HUD right now. And your mind barely reminded you that he had said “we” instead of “you” when talking about rebuilding your lightsaber. He wasn’t going to leave you to do it on your own.  
His footsteps returned to the threshold of your door again, and your eyes fell to the thing - no things - held gently in his hands. His helmet tilted farther sideways as he looked at you. You were patiently waiting for him, with large pupils and an almost rigid posture as you stood, your breathing a little heavier than normal. His eyebrow quirked upwards as a pleased smirk etched itself across his lips. You listened to his command. He could see - thanks to his thermal imaging asset - that your body temperature had risen since he left, and he could see your legs pressed tightly together. Pride swelled in his chest. He’d gotten you worked up in a matter of minutes over a few simple touches, gestures and words.  
“Until then you can use these. They should fit your grip.” He said, presenting you two blasters.  
They were sleek and small and shiny, and would fit easily in your hands. And you were surprised that you haven’t seen these particular guns in his arsenal, but then again this man has so many weapons within this ship, you aren’t exactly surprised that you haven’t seen these yet. There were dozens of weapons you know he had stored away that you haven’t even thought of, stashed away until the moment was right to use them.  
You could see how he hesitates at the door, almost refusing to come inside your quarters. His aura shifted to a pale gold color, and when your eyes looked around the Mandalorian you almost didn't notice the color difference. Something had upset him. You moved forwards, probably against his wishes, and came to stand at the threshold of your quarters. When your feet stopped just before his, and your eyes met his behind the visor, you could see his aura return to its normal golden color. Your hands rested under his as he held the blasters, and you could feel his hands shaking slightly.  
“You - You don’t have to take care of me. I can’t repay you.” you told him, going to push the blasters back against his chest.  
“Elek, Ni vaabir cyar'ika.” Yes I do darling. he said tenderly.  
Your face scrunched as you try to figure out what he’s said, but you don’t know Mando’a.  
“What did you say?” you asked, still trying to refuse the blasters.  
“I - I - I said you don’t have to repay me. You do more than enough by helping me take care of the Child.” He said, and you get a tingling feeling in the back of your head that he’s lying to you, but not in a cruel way.  
“Will you teach me Mando’a?” you asked him.  
He inhaled, making his broad, impressive shoulders even larger in your small door frame. He went to answer but you cut him off when you realized that he might not be able to teach you, like he isn’t allowed to show you his face.  
“That is if you can… If not - I just… we can forget I even asked.” you rambled.  
Mando’s shoulder shook slightly and soft laughter filtered through the modulator in his helmet. Your cheeks burned as blood rushed to your face making you feel hot and embarrassed. Was he laughing at how stupid you were? Was he laughing at you for asking such a dumb question?  
“You’re cute when you get flustered.” He stated, dropping one blaster in your hand before raising his hand to brush the side of his finger underneath your chin, tickling you.  
Your body got hotter - if that were even possible - as your heart hammered against your rib cage. Your brain short circuits at the attention Mando gaveto you. He was so bold today. When did he get so bold? Why was he acting like this? You certainly didn’t mind… it was just…. different from normal.  
“I’ll teach you,” he began “if you promise to use these from now on until we can fix your lightsaber.”  
There’s that “we” again, and hearing it again makes your heart melt. His one free hand moved to cup the edge of your jaw as his thumb dragged across your cheek as you looked into his visor, into his eyes. His thumb moved lightly over your bottom lip, tugging at it slightly. At first you thought he made a mistake or simply stroked his thumb too far - but when Mando does it again with a little more force, and his helmet moved slightly closer to your face, you realized he had meant to do this - to tease you. You poked your tongue out and gave the leather over the pad of his thumb a small kitten lick before he could pull away completely.  
“I - of course.” you promised him. You sounded out of breath and needy but Mando didn’t comment on it. Instead he moved his hand to cradle the back of your head in a tender gesture before he dropped his hand to the side and offered you the other blaster.  
“I need to chart a course to pick up some supplies.” he informed you, acting as if he hadn’t started a fire underneath your skin.  
“Where are we going?” you asked, putting one blaster in the holster at your thigh, and the other in the waistband of your pants, letting the cold metal rest against the small of your back.  
“Somewhere we might be able to stay for a while, if we’re lucky.”  
“If we’re lucky?” you questioned him.  
He didn’t say anything. He raised his hand halfway towards your face, but stopped before he could get there like he was conflicted with touching you again. His hand dropped to his side again and then he was gone. His large imposing figure disappeared from the threshold to your room, leaving you flustered and alone.  
*  
Takodana was one of - if not the prettiest planet you’d ever set foot on. Luscious greenery blanketed the planet, only to be broken up by sparkling lakes that spanned for miles and miles across the planet’s surface. This dazzling planet was a departing point for those in the Inner Rim and Outer Rim, making it a perfect halfway point settled in the Mid Rim for smugglers, fugitives, and explorers. Takodana offered those leaving the Inner Rim one last taste of the high-life they’d grown so accustomed to, and for those venturing inwards from the Outer Rim… well it gave them a glimpse of what life inside the Inner Rim was truly like.  
You had been to Takodana once, a long long time ago with your Master. After your Master had claimed you as his apprentice, he’d taken you with him on all of his excursions despite being a baby. And one of the first places you and your Master traveled to was Takodana to meet with the Pirate Queen.  
And the Castle that belonged to the Pirate Queen was one of the safest places in the galaxy. There was one rule that everyone had to follow: no violence of any kind was allowed inside the Castle’s walls, meaning no bounty hunter could enter the building to collect on a bounty, and those who had a price on their head were offered aid for a single day. And if they wanted to stay for longer, the price to remain at the Castle was high.  
As soon as the ramp was down, the Kid was teetering down the slab of metal, eagerly walking towards Nymeve Lake. If you hadn't been so distracted by the view, you’d have tore after the Kid to stop him from going too far.  
You stood at the threshold, looking out at Nymeve Lake. It’s crystal clear waters sparkled under the high sun in the equally clear sky. Birds and insects chirped as a gentle breeze wafted through the trees, carrying a fresh pine scent through the air. Despite not being able to remember much from your time as a baby with your Master, the view looked and felt familiar.   
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Mando asked from beside you, making you jump slightly. Your head reluctantly moved to look at him instead of the breath stealing scenery.  
“Yeah, but I bet you’re prettier.” you said before you could even think. You froze, and kept your eyes focused on the Kid as he trekked through the grass. Nerves began to burn in your chest, making you feel as if you’d combust at any moment.  
With wide fearful eyes, you stole a glance at the Mandalorian next to you, and prayed to the Maker that you hadn’t just messed up the strange relationship you had with him. Your palms began to sweat as you stood in silence, looking at each other.  
The Kid’s delighted squeals tore through the air, giving you the escape you needed. You quickly descended the ramp, and made your way through the grass and dirt and towards where the Kid was.  
“How could you have been so stupid? Did you even think before you opened your mouth?” you hissed at yourself as you got closer to the Kid. You bent over, giving the Mandalorian a perfect view of your ass, and picked the Kid up off the ground as he tried to grab a bug. He squealed in delight as you lifted him onto your hip.  
“Yeah, no. I didn’t think.” you said, talking to yourself as you looked down at the Kid.  
He chirped like he was answering you. His big brown eyes stared up at you while he reached out for your free hand, his little fingers grabbing onto your own.  
“Yeah… I didn’t think, little guy.” you sighed.  
Din stared after you as you went off chasing the Kid through the green grass, a look of shock still etched across his hidden features. He hadn’t been prepared for you to flirt with him, and from your reaction to your own words Din guessed you hadn’t meant to let those words slip free.  
He’s face felt hot underneath the helmet, as he watched you bend down to pick up the Kid, who was trying his hardest to grab a bug to try and snack on. Din’s eyes immediately landed on your ass, and he could feel his cock harden instantly. He shifted on his feet, trying to subtly readjust himself to give him some kind of relief but the rough drag of the fabric of his pants against him made the situation worse.  
Din’s eyes traveled up your back, watching as you moved with the Kid in your arms, which forced Din to daydream about what you’d look like impaled on his cock, reverse cowgirl style, giving him another perfect view of your ass as you worked yourself closer to a mind blowing orgasm on his cock. More blood rushed to his face as he imagined rutting against you, filling your pretty cunt with his cum, getting you pregnant with his children.  
An almost pained groan escaped his throat, and your head whipped in his direction when you heard the sound.  
“Are you hurt?” you questioned him, face full of concern as the Kid pulled on your ear, tugging at the jewelry you had stacked there.  
“N-no.” Din coughed, hoping your eyes wouldn’t fall to the obvious tent in his pants.  
Your eyes raked over his form, searching for any sign of injury. You noticed the large bulge in his pants, but you controlled your facial expression. He was huge, and if you could see his outline from this distance, then Mando must have been packing. You pressed your legs together to ease the heat that flowed through you as you tried to wrangle the baby’s grabby hands away from your face.  
“We should get going. There’s someone I have to meet.” Mando informed you.  
“Of course. Lead the way Bounty Hunter.” you teased him a little, hoping to forget the embarrassment you’d felt a minute ago, as you began to walk towards him as he descended the ramp.  
When his feet touched the soft earth, he pressed a button on his vambrace which triggered ground protocols and raised the ramp to the Razor Crest. When Mando was satisfied that the ship was safely locked up, he turned to look at you and the Kid.  
“Beroya.” Mando stated, like that foreign word was supposed to mean something to you.  
Your head tilted to the side, as you repeat the word over in your head trying to make out what it could have possibly meant. Mando sighed in front of you, but it was not a dejected or disappointed sigh. It’s a casual sigh, one that didn’t make you worry or question yourself. This man sighed more than anyone else in the galaxy, so you didn’t really question his sighs anymore.  
“Beroya. It means bounty hunter.” Mando clarified.  
“Bair…oy…ah?” you said slowly, trying out the foreign word on your tongue.  
“Good. Little faster.”  
“Beroya.” you said a couple more times, until you felt like you had to pronunciation down.  
Mando nodded in approval, and tilted his head toward an overgrown pathway. The three of you began walking through the thick grass, shaded by tall trees and a thick canopy of leaves and vines. And with every step, your mind wandered to the Mandalorian and the bulge in his pants, and how hot it made you feel. And then when your mind began to indulge in the fantasies you had, guilt sank its gnarly teeth into your very soul.  
The Mandalorian could never - would never want someone like you. He was interested in someone soft and kind and innocent, like Omera. Not someone like you with blood on your hands and a heavy heart for all the bad things you had done in your life.  
But then the more logical side of your brain kicked in, reminding you of all the things the Mandalorian had done for you and no one else in this Marker’s forsaken galaxy. He had lent you two blasters while your lightsaber was out of commission to keep you and the Kid safe. He had given you a temporary home on his ancient death trap he called the Razor Crest. When you had been his bounty, and had asked if being frozen in carbonite hurt, he had answered you honestly and then changed his mind about freezing you.  
And most importantly, he had removed his helmet in front of you. And while you had been in the complete cover of darkness with no possible way of seeing what he looked like, the severity of the action still weighed heavily on you. He had removed the one thing that held his entire life together for you.  
If he had done all these things, then maybe the Mandalorian could be interested in someone like you, like how you thought of him.  
“Why is steam coming out of your ears?” Mando asked from beside you as he gently took the Kid from your arms, and placed him on the ground. The little green goblin can’t be carried all the time, someday he would be put down for the final time, and never be picked up again.  
“What?” you squeaked, raising your hand to swat at one of your ears.  
“I can see the cogs turning in that beautiful head of yours. What’s on your mind?” he asked, keeping his helmet focused on you.  
“Just thinking about how I’ve been here before.” you lied, keeping your own eyes on the Kid as he walked slightly ahead of the two of you.  
“You’ve been here before?” Mando questioned you.  
He had not expected that to come out of your pretty mouth. His mind slipped into a lewd fantasy - of you slowly sinking to your knees, your eyes wide and eager as you slowly pumped his cock before licking a broad stripe over the thick vein running along the bottom of his dick. Your lips wrapped around him as you kitten licked his very sensitive tip, before swallowing more and more of him until you’re choking yourself on his length.  
His mind wandered, and he nearly missed everything you’ had been saying.  
“- I was barely three months old. One of the first places my Master took me to as a baby was here on Takodana.”  
Mando came to a stop, and fiddled with the side of his helmet, smacking it a couple times. You came to a stop as well, a worried expression making its way onto your face.  
“You okay? Is something wrong with your earpiece?” you questioned him.  
“Can you repeat what you said?” Mando asked, hoping you won’t catch him in his lie. His helmet was working perfectly fine, he just felt guilty for picturing you sucking him off when you were revealing more about your past to him.  
“Oh - sure! After I was born on Jedha, I was taken to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and a few weeks later my Master chose me as his padawan. It was a strange situation for everyone. I don’t believe anyone has ever been chosen so early to be someone’s padawan, children are usually 10 or older when they’re chosen. I was 3 months old, and Takodana was one of the first places my Master took me.” you repeated.  
“Do you miss him?” Mando asked, as the two of you continued down the overgrown pathway.  
“Every day.” you told him, your voice wistful and sad.  
“How did he die?”  
Mando watched you turn your head away from him, trying to hide the fact that your eyes were full of tears, but he saw them. His chest ached as he saw you cry because of him and his careless words.  
“Cyare… I’m sorry… we don’t have to talk about this. I didn’t think before I spoke.” he apologized.  
“No it’s okay… I just miss him…” you told him as you hastily wiped up your eyes.  
The Kid waddled back towards you and Mando, and reached upwards for you to pick him up. You scooped him off the ground and into your arms, and willed yourself not to cry anymore. The Child cooed and lightly slapped your face with his hand, trying to comfort you and wipe away your tears.  
It’s been years since your Master died, but you still felt his absence everyday and it hurt to be so alone in the galaxy.   
Din watched as the Kid pawed at you, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the little guy trying to comfort you. Your eyes looked over at him when you heard him laughing, which made you laugh in turn, changing the entire mood in a matter of seconds thanks to the Kid and his silly antics.  
You looked back at the Child in your arms, and smiled. You were not alone in the galaxy anymore… and you had the chance to train the Child like your Master had trained you. Your free hand came to the Child’s middle, tickling him as he squealed and giggled in your arms.  
The three of you continued walking through the woods towards whatever contact Mando needed to meet with, trying to cover as much ground as possible now that you were not slowed down by the Kid’s itty bitty legs.  
It’s when the Kid began to doze off in your arms, do you speak again.  
“I got him killed.” you admitted.  
Mando’s helmet whipped to look at you, and you were almost certain he had hurt himself or gave himself whiplash from how fast he turned to look at the side of your face. You pressed your lips together, and focused on petting the Kid’s long ears as you spoke about what happened to your Master. From the corner of your eyes you could see the Mandalorian’s aura shifting to a lighter golden color - one that reminds you of your own aura. You could tell he didn’t trust you right now, or that he was confused. You’d seen his aura shift towards a paler hue earlier when he refused to enter your quarters. Maybe his aura got lighter when he was conflicted about something.   
“I was young, newly knighted, and the Imperial Era was at the height of its power. We were hiding on Venaari - we’d been there for several years, and I got sick…really sick. I was…dying.” you began, only pausing to take a few steadying breaths before continuing.  
“By getting sick, I forced Maldeth to leave the tiny village we’d taken refuge in, and venture into Ven-Kav to find medicine to save my life. Imperial loyal bounty hunters followed him back to our village… they shot him in the back… at the foot of my bed as I lay dying.”  
You continued walking, and reached out towards Mando’s hand. Your fingers wrapped around the end of his glove, lightly touching the sliver of skin that wasn’t completely covered by the glove or tunic or vambrace. You couldn’t stop the tears that fell freely from your eyes, the haunting images replayed in your mind as you projected the same scenes into the Mandalorian’s head.  
Coughs racked your body, leaving you breathless, gasping for air in your tiny straw stuffed bed as you shivered beneath the threadbare blankets that covered your body.   
You can see your Master entering your small room in the shack the two of you had bought from a farmer on the outskirts of town, his large paws fumbling with the small vial of liquid that would hopefully cure you. The Shistavanen’s lilac colored aura of squares and rectangles was the only thing your tired eyes could truly focus on.  
“Cendren?” you weakly call out, coughing violently, blood pooling in your mouth.  
“I’m here tiny star. Drink this.” Maldeth orders you softly, as he comes to the side of your bed, and presses the vial of a strange liquid to your chapped lips. You try to sit up, and when your muscles can’t hold you up, Maldeth’s large paw cradles the back of your head to hold you upright so you can drink.  
You gag at the taste, but you manage to keep the vile tasting medicine down. Your eyelids begin to droop shut and Maldeth gently lays you back down on your pillow. He adjusts the blankets around your body, making sure you’re tucked in tightly. The effects of the medicine begin to take immediately, a strong sedative working through your veins at an alarming pace.  
Cendren moves from the side of your bed, to the foot of it and stares down at you with a concerned expression. You can barely keep your eyes open as the sedative continues to work its way through your system. A shift in color catches your attention, and it takes a second too long for your fever-stricken mind to process another aura in the room. It’s a dark and angry red color with no distinct shape to it.  
You don’t hear the blaster shot go off but you do see Cendren fall to his knees before slumping to the floor, dead. Your eyes fall shut before you can get a look at the bounty hunter’s face who’d killed your Master.  
“I woke up two days later… a neighbor had come to check on us… they buried him for me… If I hadn’t gotten sick, he’d still be alive.” you said, but your voice was thick with tears.  
“Why didn’t the bounty hunter kill you too?” Din asked, his tone angry. If he ever figured out who killed your Master, he would tear them apart slowly, inflicting as much pain as possible before he delivered them to you at your feet where you could decide the rest of their fate.  
“I think they thought I was already dead.” you speculated, but you had no true way of actually knowing.  
“Y/N… I’m sorry.” Mando said, raising his hand to cup your cheek. His thumb brushed away a tear that you’d missed. You smiled sadly at him before leaning into his touch.   
His heart hammered in his chest at the way you nuzzled against his glove. The two of you stood there for a moment, listening to the soft and gentle sounds of the forest around you, enjoying each other's company for this brief and fleeting moment.  
Mando removed his hand from the side of your face, and gently tapped the underside of your chin, tickling you.  
“Smile. Tears aren’t allowed on Takodana.” he teased you, trying to lighten the mood again.  
“I will remember that for later.” you winked at him, and began down the pathway again.  
Din watched as you walked away from him, continuing down the path towards his contact, with his mouth hanging open. The hand at his side clenched into a tight fist, and he tried to keep his mind from imagining you in several provocative, and risqué positions.  
With a heavy, sexually frustrated sigh, the Mandalorian followed after you, counting down the seconds until he could return from this hunt and tell you how he truly felt.  
*   
Your goodbyes with the Mandalorian were quick, and before you knew it he was pressing a decently weighted sack of credits into your hand, telling you to go to the market just east of here and buy two weeks worth of food, and then to return to the Crest, with a silent demand not to leave the ship or the immediate area unless absolutely necessary. And then he was gone, taking off with his contact in search of a bounty you didn’t even get to eavesdrop on.  
The Kid and you walked east for a little while, until you heard the chatter of people, meaning you were close to the market that Mando had told you about.  
You stepped inside the gates that lead up to the infamous castle, and immediately took in how loud the marketplace outside was. You leaned down, and set the Kid on the ground letting him explore the new and exciting environment.  
Auras of vibrant yellows and oranges float in the air above the marketplace, giving you a sense of ease in such an unfamiliar environment. You wandered through the market stalls, checking out what wonders Takodana had to offer you and the Kid for the next two weeks.  
And just as Mando instructed, you bought two weeks of food for the Kid and yourself, and as a special little treat for yourself, you bought a small bag of cake mix. By the time the Mandalorian returned to you and the Kid, your birthday will have passed by, and this year you had someone else to celebrate it with - even if that someone is a 50 year old toddler.  
This year you were determined on celebrating and you weren’t going to waste the opportunity that the galaxy had provided to you.  
*  
The two weeks with the Kid went by quickly, and before you knew it, the Mandalorian was returning to the Crest with more credits than he knew what to do with.  
When he had woken you in the cockpit, you’d instinctively reached for the blasters he’d given you, but when you recognized his helmet you instantly relaxed. A relieved smile made its way onto your face as you gazed up at him in the early morning light.  
“You’re back early.” you commented, contentment clear in your voice.  
“Bounty was easy.” Mando replied.  
“Go rest. I’ll bring you some food.” you told him, standing from the pilot’s chair, stretching.  
Mando nodded, and wordlessly made his way into his room and collapsed onto his cot, ready to take a three week nap.  
When he awoke again, he knew he’d been asleep for several hours. Food had been placed inside the bunk, just to the side of his feet but out of the way where he wouldn’t knock it over, but it had grown cold and confirmed his suspicion that he’d been asleep for longer than he had meant to be.  
Mando made his way towards the kitchen, ready to reheat the food that you had made for him. However, he froze when he heard you talking to the Kid in the middle of the kitchen.  
“Mhmm. And every year we get older, we celebrate it on the day of our birth. It’s called a birthday.” you explained to the baby.  
The Mandalorian watched you speaking with the baby. He never really understood how you could understand the Child’s gibberish, he just knew it had something to do with your shared connection to the Force.  
The kid babbled a bit more, making you smile down at him.  
“Yes. Today is my birthday.” you stated. The Child laughed as if congratulating you on aging up in the world.  
The Mandalorian couldn’t believe how stupid he was. How could he not have asked when your birthday was? He knew immediately that he had to make it up to you - and he knew exactly what to get you. Guilt ate away at him as he stared at you with the Kid in your arms.  
“I need to head into town.” he said, making his presence known, placing his uneaten food in the refrigerator.  
“What for? You just got back from a bounty.” you stated, adjusting the little green goblin into your arms.  
You had secretly hoped to spend the day with the bounty hunter doing absolutely nothing…but now he was heading out again.  
“I have to cash in the bounty.” the Mandalorian lied. Your face contracted, micro-expressions giving away that you were confused and upset by him leaving again. Hadn’t he already returned with the credits for the bounty he’d just returned from?  
“I should be back in an hour. Two tops.” he said, shouldering his pulse rifle.  
“Well, while you’re out get this little guy some food.”  
“Are we running low?”  
“No… I just thought it’d be nice to not use a ration pack.”  
The Mandalorian nodded. He hesitated by the door, as if he wanted to say more but then decided against it. He walked down the ramp, leaving you and the kid on the Razor Crest.  
You watched your beskar knight disappear into the treeline. With a defeated sigh you looked down at the baby.  
“Come on, I have a few more birthday traditions I want to pass on to you.”  
*  
After Mando had left, you’d gathered up all the ingredients you needed in order to make yourself and the Kid a small birthday cake. It had been a very long time since you had made a birthday cake from scratch, and if you could keep the Kid entertained while doing so would be well worth it.  
You gently sat the Kid on the counter, and told him to hold the spatula while you cracked two eggs into a bowl you’d found tucked away in one of the cupboards. Taking the spatula from the Kid, you gave him the tiny metal ball he loved to play with from up in the cockpit to keep him busy while you mixed the eggs in with the cake mix you’d purchased two weeks ago at the marketplace.  
You worked quickly, stopping every now and then to levitate the ball from the Kid’s hand via the Force to keep him entertained. His laughter filled the hull of the ship, which only made you laugh too.  
You poured the cake batter into a small baking pan, and popped it into the oven to bake. Picking the Kid up off the counter, you set him on the ground, and let him roam around the bottom of the hull while you cleaned up the mess the two of you had made in the kitchen.  
While you waited for the cake to bake, you and the Kid practiced levitating the ball, and when that got boring the two of you played hide and seek. And half an hour later, you pulled the cake from the oven, and set it in the icebox to cool down in order to frost it later.  
You took the Kid outside to enjoy the late afternoon sun, loving the way the breeze cooled your skin, and the sun warmed you up, and the way the lake looked before the Crest.  
Today could not have been better. In fact, it had been perfect.  
*  
The Mandalorian knew exactly who he needed to speak with in order to get you the perfect birthday gift, he just hoped she was here. Takodana was the home of the pirate queen and that was exactly who the Mandalorian found.  
The cantina fell silent as the Mandalorian stepped inside. He’d been here before - many many moons ago - and yet somehow everything looked the same as it had before.  
“Bounty Hunters aren’t welcome.” snarked the barkeep.  
“I’m looking for someone.” replied the Mandalorian.  
“Out. Mandalorians aren’t welcome.” repeated the barman.  
“Nonsense Gar’ek.” said the woman the bounty hunter was looking for.  
All eyes were on the bounty hunter as the Pirate Queen approached him. Her small beady brown eyes stared up at the Mandalorian as she removed her glasses. A soft smile spread across her orange lips.  
“Come with me.” spoke the Pirate Queen.  
The Mandalorian followed after the Pirate Queen, eager to get away from the prying eyes that stalked his every move.  
“I know why you have come.” Maz Kanata stated.  
“Then do you have what I seek?”  
“Sap from the uneti tree is rare. And from Ahch-to… it is even rarer.” Maz said as she led the Mandalorian deeper into the cantina’s basement.  
“What do you have in exchange for it?” asked Maz as she began rummaging through several crates, searching for the small vial of sap that she was looking for.  
“A piece of my armor.” He knew you’d notice a missing piece of his beskar immediately. You were just that observant, and that - that was part of the reason the Mandalorian was falling in love with you.  
“Your beskar?” asked Maz as she turned to look at him.  
“She must be important.” Maz teased him.  
“She is.”  
Maz turned back to the crates, and pulled out a small round jar, swirling with amber sap. Her hands cradled the jar, looking from the sap to the bounty hunter before her. The Mandalorian removed his hip guard, and extended it to Maz. Maz accepted the beskar, and examined it. With a satisfied hum, Maz handed over the jar of sacred sap.  
“Tell me…” Maz asked, still holding on to the jar.  
The Mandalorian looked at her, waiting for her to continue.  
“If you love her, like you say you do… are you willing to let her be herself? She is of Jedi heritage. The very same Jedi who fought against the Mandalorians.”  
“It doesn’t matter where she comes from.” came his instant reply. He still doesn’t fully understand the Jedi and their history and what they have to do with Mandalorians and Mandalore.  
“In that case…” Maz said, releasing the jar, “Wish her a happy birthday for me.”  
*  
As the Mandalorian walked back to the Razor Crest he couldn’t get Maz Kanata’s words out of his head. Was he willing to truly love you despite your DNA? The immediate answer was yes. And the more complicated answer - after rounds and rounds of trying to reason that he didn’t love you because of where you came from - was eventually yes.  
He did love you.  
He does love you.  
He heard the Kid’s laughter as he approached the Razor Crest, and ascended the ramp way. When he reached the cargo bay, he saw you wrestling with the baby, trying to get him out of his muddy clothes.  
“Don’t just stand there.” you laughed, finally grabbing the little green goblin.  
“You looked like you were having fun,” he commented.  
“Oh so much fun.” you sassed him with a roll of your eyes.  
Minutes later, you had the Kid clean and tucked away in his tiny bedroom to take his evening nap. The Mandalorian was facing away from you, putting his pulse rifle away when he heard you gasp.  
“Where’s your hip guard?” you asked, suspicion laced in between your words. He swallowed. Well that didn’t take very long. It was now or never.  
“I have something for you.” he said, purposely ignoring your comment about his missing beskar.  
“Mando.” you scolded him.  
He pulled something from his utility belt, and held it in his gloved hands. You noticed he was shaking slightly.  
“Hey what’s wrong? You’re shaking.” you asked, stepping closer to him, cradling his hands in yours. You hadn’t noticed the bottle he desperately clung to.  
“Briikase gote'tuur!” Happy Birthday! he says in mando’a. You tilted your head to the side slightly, unable to comprehend his words.  
“Happy Birthday.” he said, moving his hands closer to you. When did the Mandalorian learn it was your birthday?  
“How did -?” you began to ask.  
You hadn’t told him - didn’t want him to feel obligated to do anything or get you something. But you had mentioned it to the Kid earlier in the day.  
Your eyes fell to your hands, and noticed the small jar of amber liquid. Your fingertips brushed against the bottle, learning of what lay inside via the Force. Your eyes widened in what looked like alarm as you moved your eyes up to the Mandalorian’s helmet.  
“This - You - It’s - I-.” a dozen sentences began and died on your lips. Tears filled your eyes as you stared up at the Mandalorian’s visor.   
“It’s sap from a uneti tree on Ahch-to.” he said, speaking so softly you had to strain to really hear his words.  
“You - You got this for me?” you fumbled over your words. You flung your arms around the Mandalorian, nuzzling your nose into his neck, breathing in his scent that lingered around his cowl.  
“Thank you.” you whispered over and over and over again.  
The Mandalorian’s hands rested against your waist, holding you to him. When he first saw your eyes fill with tears, he wasn’t sure why you were upset. But when you flung your arms around him, he knew those tears were happy tears.  
“Of course mesh’la. Of course.” he said softly, the helmet making his words even softer.  
You pulled away from the Mandalorian, and looked down at the jar of sap. More tears slipped down your cheeks, excitement, and greedy anticipation filling you. The bounty hunter’s gloved fingers brushed against your cheek, brushing away the tears that kept coming.  
“Are these happy tears?” he asked, needing to be reassured he had done the right thing.   
“Of course. I - I thought my lightsaber was never going to be fixed. This is the best birthday gift a girl could ask for.” you admitted.  
“Then it was worth it.” he chuckled.  
“What about your armor? Beskar is sacred isn’t it?.” you asked, ready to give back the sacred tree sap.  
“You mean more to me than beskar.”  
You began crying again, and the Mandalorian wrapped you in his arms and crushed you against his chest. You leaned forwards and pressed a kiss to the Mandalorian’s helmet, where his cheek would be. His hand rested against the side of your face, his thumb rubbed gently against your skin. A smile that was soft and sweet and beautiful - one you rarely let others see - spread across your face. The Mandalorian’s breath shuddered in his chest as he looked down at you.  
Kriff.  
He loved you.  
He loves you.  
“Can I kiss you?” he asked.  
“You don’t ever have to ask..” you stated.  
Mando’s gloved fingers pulled at the knot that held together the band of cloth that rested on your bicep, the very same cloth he once gave to you from his very cape. And now you wore that very same strip of cloth on your arms proudly, and as Cara put it, “you wore it like a wedding ring.”  
The band at your arm slowly loosened, and came to cover your eyes. Mando tied the soft material into a knot at the back of your head, and then cupped your cheeks. He stared down at you, drinking you in.  
A minute later, you heard the hiss of release from his helmet. The bounty hunter set his helmet down, the heavy clunk of metal against metal confirming the fact that the Mandalorian indeed was without his helmet.  
His breath fanned out across your cheeks, making your anticipation rise. His lips pressed against yours almost hesitantly. One minute they weren’t there, and the next they were. The Mandalorian pulled your face closer to his, as your arms wrapped over his shoulders and around his neck.  
Your fingers snaked into his hair, making you sigh into him. You loved how soft his hair felt in your grasp. Mando’s lips moved down your face, and to your jawline. His hands wandered as well, moving down to your waist, his fingers hooking into your belt loops to toy with you.  
You began to pant, as the Mandalorian inched closer and closer to that little spot at the base of your neck where your neck met your shoulder, the one that made you melt for him. His stubble tickled your neck, making your squirm in his grasp.  
His grip on your hips only tightened, keeping you exactly where he wanted you.  
He was going to treat you like a queen tonight.  
He pulled away from you, breathless and giddy. He stared at your lips, watching as they begin to swell slightly from the severity of your kissing. His thumb ran over your bottom lip as he watched you pant slightly. Your teeth softly nipped at the pad of his thumb, making him shudder.  
He couldn’t wait to figure out what turned you on, what made you fall apart, how far he could shove his cock down your throat, if you’re willing to try different and maybe dangerous things with him.   
His helmet slipped back on his head, and he removed the blindfold from your eyes, which made you pout. Din laughed, which sent a jolt of searing heat down your spine.  
“I have one more birthday present for you, cyare. It will take me some time to set up. Can you take the Child and go in the cockpit for a while? Or you can rest in my quarters.” He offered, hoping you won’t be too upset with the other gift he had for you.  
“What are you doing?” You questioned him as your eyes met his, your pupils mirrored his. Blown wide with lust and anticipation, and eager for more.  
“I can’t ruin the surprise, birthday girl.” He teased you.  
You couldn’t help the smile that etched its way onto your face. You gingerly held the tiny bottle of tree sap in your hands, before moving towards the weapons rack. You opened the doors, and crouched down in front of one of the safes, programming in the code just seconds before the door swung open. You safely deposited the sap inside the safe, and closed the door, locking away the precious gift.  
You closed the weapons rack, and turned to look at the Mandalorian behind you. You wanted to kiss him again. Maker, did you want to kiss him again. Those few moments of kissing hadn’t been enough. You wanted to kiss his lips, his cheeks, his jaw. You wanted to get drunk off of his kisses and drown in everything this was him.  
“I can help you. I’ll even act really surprised afterwards.” You tried to bargain with him. You just want his hands on you again.  
He sighed again when you look at his eyes behind the visor. Being able to tell you ‘no’ was getting increasingly hard. If the Kid and you ever double-teamed the Mandalorian, asking for something he knew he would cave immediately.  
“You’re a handful, aren’t you?” he playfully scolded you.  
“I like it better when your hands are full of me.” you smiled at him, biting your lip slightly as you looked at him from under your lashes.  
“The faster you follow my directions, the faster we can pick up where we left off.” he promised you.  
Excitement spiked through your body, making you feel hot underneath your skin. Your clothes felt too tight, and all you want to do was jump the Mandalorian right now. A thin sheen of sweat broke out across your skin as your mind conjured up lewd and debauching images of the man before you.  
“Okay.” you began, “Do you know how long you’ll be?”  
“Only an hour. I promise to not take too long.” His helmet tilted downwards, his eyes raked over your body as he noted that your internal temperature was rising. He smirked to himself, knowing he had such an effect over you.   
You nodded and turned towards his bunk, knowing you weren't’ going to change the Mandalorian’s mind. If he didn’t want your help… if he wanted to surprise you… then so be it.  
Tucking the Kid into the crook of your elbow, you walked past the Mandalorian towards the ladder that led up to the cockpit. You made it two steps up the ladder, before you turned back to him.  
“If your back hurts after whatever it is you’re doing, I am not wasting a bacta patch on you.” you teased him, faking being serious.  
“My back won’t be hurting from this activity.” he said, his suggestive comment making you bite your lip before turning back to the ladder.  
“Put the Kid in his pram. He’ll sleep soundly there for the rest of the night.” Mando told you.  
With another nod, you ascended the rest of the ladder and disappeared into the cockpit. You tucked the Kid into his pram and pressed a kiss to his forehead before sliding the capsule shut. You settled into the pilot’s seat and studied a few of the star charts that Mando had pulled up on Takodana when he had charted a course through the Outer Rim to get here into the Mid Rim. And before long, you found yourself reminiscing on past birthdays, wishing your Master could have been here with you.  
*  
Din wasted no time in lowering the back ramp that led to the belly of the Razor Crest to begin altering your quarters. He quickly grabbed several welding tools, and disappeared behind the curtain that led to the small room you called your own.  
Din set his tools down on a small shelf inlaid into the wall, and quickly gathered all of your belongings into your rucksack, one you had packed not long ago to leave him and the Kid behind. And even if the Mandalorian was forcing you to leave, the thought of you leaving still hurts… and he was eternally grateful to the galaxy that your stubborn ass didn’t leave him on his own with the Kid. He would not have made it this far without you… and if he had it would have been a hell of a lot harder than it would have needed to be.  
Din took your belongings, and tucked them into his bunk, before sealing the door to keep what few items you have safe from the mess he was about to make. Din made a mental note to get you more clothes, and other worldly possessions when he had the credits to spare.  
Moving back into your closet of a room, he picked up his welding tools and set to work. He removed the shelf you used as a cot, and then he removed the other two thick shelves that sit above the one you used to sleep on. He maneuvered the old thick slabs into the back of the ship, storing the extra metal near the carbonite freezer to use later.  
When he had more time, Din planned to knock down the back wall of your room - the one that used to hold up the shelves - and expand your living quarters to more than three steps wide in all directions. But for now, all he could do was give you a better, more comfortable place to sleep.  
With the shelves removed, there was more room inside your quarters, and Din was positive you would appreciate his other birthday gift to you. It might not be as great as the uneti tree sap, but a new bed was certainly a close second.  
It didn’t take him very long to construct the bed frame and set up the new bed. But when he was finished he began to feel nervous. What if you didn’t like the new bed he’d gotten you? He’d already decided that he’d reconstruct your room and put it back exactly the way he had found it if you truly didn’t like the bed.  
He moved to the bottom of the ladder and called out to you, asking you to come down to the hull.  
Your feet hit the bottom rung of the ladder, and you could already sense that something was off. Mando stood in front of the curtain that led to your room, and when you looked closer you could see that his aura fluctuated just slightly. Was… Was he nervous?  
“I got you something else, but if you don’t like it… I can put everything back the way it was.” he promised you, before he stepped to the side, and held out his hand pulling the curtain back, gesturing for you to enter your bedroom. You tilted your head slightly, and walked forward.  
Stopping at the threshold, you took in the sight of a new bed. The shelves you’d come to know and fucking hate were long gone, only to be replaced by what looked like the softest bed in the galaxy.  
Plain gray sheets covered a large bed, one that would easily accommodate you, the Mandalorian and the Kid with a bit of wiggle room to spare. The bed itself took up a lot of the space inside the room, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care about having less space to walk around in… you didn’t have a lot of walking room to begin with.  
You spun on your heel, and looked into his visor, almost at a loss for words.  
“You bought me a bed?!”  
“You were sleeping on a slab of metal.” he countered.  
“You also sleep on a slab of metal.” you fired back.  
“If you don’t -” he started, but was cut off when you threw yourself into his arms, pulling him in for another hug. This was the most touching he’d experienced in a long time. Touching that was meaningful. Touching that was kind and gentle and full of love.  
You leaned backwards, craning your neck to look at the Mandalorian’s visor. His helmet tipped downward to look at you. He could see your eyes were wet and shiny with fat, happy tears, and the smile on your face made his heart melt. You leaned forwards and pressed a kiss into the side of his helmet where his cheek would be, and you felt the Mandalorian’s chest hitch as he inhaled sharply. His arms tightened slightly around your middle, keeping you close to him.  
“I love it… thank you.” you said softly.  
“I am glad you like it cyare.” he said, his own smile broke out across his face.  
“I’d… love to test it out with you… that is… if your promise from earlier still stands.” you said, looking up at him with pouty doe eyes.  
Mando slowly released you from his arms, and pressed a button on his vambrace, plunging the hull of the ship into semi-darkness. Your eyes tried to adjust to the dark, and it was almost impossible to see anything. Your eyes couldn’t tell the difference between open and closed, which made you jealous of the Mandalorian and the night vision his helmet had.   
He tugged at the strip of cloth tied around your arm, and secured it tightly over your eyes, making sure you couldn’t see him. Sure it was dark, but he couldn’t risk breaking his Creed. Not before he could talk to the Armorer about making you a part of his Clan.   
You heard the hiss of his helmet, and then the heavy metal being placed on the ground. Your limbs shook as you waited for Mando to guide you toward your new bed.  
“Y/N…” he said, his voice filling your ears. You inhaled at how close he sounded… how different he sounded without his helmet. Your mouth hung open slightly as you desperately tried to cling to the way he sounded - un-modulated and real and raw.  
“Say something again.” you begged, blindly reaching out for him in the dark of your bedroom.  
Your hands smashed into his breastplate, making him chuckle slightly. Your eyes watered in excitement at the new way he sounded - at the way he should always sound.  
“Easy… you’ll have plenty of opportunities to hurt me later.” he teased you as he placed his hands on your wrists, stopping you from hurting yourself.  
You couldn’t even bring yourself to be embarrassed by his dirty teasing, or come up with a witty reply, the sound of his actual voice consumed your senses. You dropped your hands to your side, and waited for him to tell you what he wanted you to do.  
“Say something else.” you pleaded with him, wanting to hear him speak forever.  
“What do you want me to say pretty girl?” he asked, his voice surrounded you, flooding your senses. The praise made you shift slightly.  
“Say my name.” you whispered as you felt his lips hover above yours.  
“Y/N…”   
“Your voice…” you said, your words hang in the air as you tried to fully grasp how he really sounded. “…don’t ever stop speaking… fuck.” you said, your words ended in a wanton moan.  
With a dark chuckle, his hands gripped your hips, and he pushed you backwards until your knees hit the back of your new bed. And then he stepped away from you with one simple order: “Don’t move.”  
You stood at the edge of your new bed, unsure of what to do with your hands as you listened to him remove his armor. You knew you were not allowed to see his face, but were you allowed to touch him? Were you allowed to see the rest of his body? Because you’d seen parts of his chest before, you’d held hands, and you’d seen the scars that littered his body, hell you’d cuddled while being almost completely naked… so you must have been allowed to see at least a little bit of him.  
“It’s okay, cyare… you can touch me.” he said, bringing you out of your thoughts.  
Your hands remained at your side, still unsure if you could truly touch him or not. His gloved fingers wrapped around your wrist and pulled your hand toward his face. You were surprised there was stubble spattering across his jaw, and you could only imagine how it might feel between your legs.   
Your senses were consumed with the feel of him. The roughness of his mysterious face, his calloused hands which were covered in blood and had ended so many lives; and yet they held you so gently almost afraid you would break beneath his fingertips.  
His lips barely pressed against yours, hesitant yet eager all at once and you knew he was holding himself back to keep from overwhelming you before the two of you could take this a step further.  
Your hands roughly grabbed the cowl underneath his chin, and pulled him towards you, seeking his lips in the dark for another kiss. His teeth nipped at your bottom lip before his tongue sought out yours, deepening your kiss.  
The bed dipped beneath you as he straddled you, being mindful not to put too much of his weight on top of you. His hands slid beneath your tunic, dragging the fabric upwards until he was able to pull it off and tossed it to the foot of your new bed. Your hands blindly reached for him, running over his undershirt, across his pecks, and down his abdomen before reaching for the hem of his shirt. You tugged at the dark fabric, pulling it from where it was tucked into his pants.  
His gloved hands came to cup your breasts. The cold leather only touched the fabric of your bra which made you whine and shift underneath him. You wanted his bare skin against yours - and he was taking too damn long.  
“Patience.” he said above you, his voice stern and made your skin break out in goosebumps.   
“Mando… please touch me.” you begged him, keeping your voice quiet as to not wake the Kid.  
You felt him lean backwards, resting some but not all of his weight on your thighs as he slowly removed the gloves. You heard the soft leather material smack against the metal flooring, and you waited, and you waited, and you waited, until his rough and calloused hands touched you. His powerful hands ripped your bra from your body, making your breasts bounce from the forceful motion.  
This time your skin felt different and familiar all at once. Your skin was softer than he remembered it to be, even if he got to hold you in his arms a few weeks ago on Sorgan.  
His thumb and forefinger lightly pinched one of your nipples, and twisted. You gasped and arched your back at the sensation, wanting him to touch more of you. You were embarrassed at how responsive your body was to a few of his simple touches, and your stomach tightened in anticipation of how you would react to more.   
His warm palms caressed every inch of skin laid before him, and slowly started to slide down the curve of your sternum and moved downwards toward the heat between your thighs. His hands rest at the waistline of your pants, and slowly and methodically toyed with the waistband while he waited for you to tell him it was okay to undress you completely.  
“Man-Mando…” you gasped out, giving him the permission he needed.  
Mando’s fingers dug into your waistband, and pulled downwards as he shifted his weight off of you. He moved himself to the end of the bed, pulling your pants and underwear down with him. The cold air of the Razor Crest made you shiver, and you instinctively crossed your arms and pressed your legs together. Mando’s hands shot out and grabbed ahold of both of your knees, stopping you from completely covering your naked form.  
“Don’t do that.” he reprimanded you.  
“I’m sorry.” you immediately apologized, slowly letting your legs relax under his touch but you kept them closed.  
Anxious thoughts filled your mind as the silence between the two of you filled the air. What if he didn’t like what he saw? What if he didn’t like how your body reacted to his?  
“Don’t do that.” he repeated, his deliciously strong palms ran up the sides of your thighs, which began to quelle your insecurities..  
“Maker - I want you so badly.” he muttered to himself.  
You heard him move, his forearms suddenly shifted and slithered beneath your knees and hauled you forwards toward the edge of the bed. Your legs fell open, as you let out a small gasp in surprise at the sudden change of position.  
You heard him sigh softly, happily as he stared down at your naked form. And from where he crouched at the end of the bed, he could see your arousal coating your folds, nearly coating the insides of your thighs. He wanted to open you up wider, but instead he subtly moved himself closer, and barely kept himself from devouring you. The Mandalorian growled quietly in pure approval, his grip on your thighs tightening as he took in the sight of your dripping pussy.  
“You look… fucking good like this… all wet for me and my cock.”  
You wanted to believe him… Maker, did you want to believe what he was saying... but past flings had planted little seeds of doubt and now they were choosing to bloom at the worst possible moment. What if you were truly awful for him? What if you weren’t able to please him and make him feel good?  
“I’ve never seen someone get so excited over me.” you heard him mutter, more to himself than to you.  
You cunt clenched at his words, and you could hear the shaky exhale he released as he watched your hole flutter around nothing. He wanted to see your pussy dripping with his cum now. He had to see you full of his cum.  
“Goddamn baby… please let me eat you out… please.” he begged you, his voice strained.  
“You don’t have to… no one’s ever…” you shyly admitted, feeling your chest grow hot with embarrassment.  
“No one’s ever gone down on you?” Mando asked his hands softly stroked the skin of your thighs and calves.  
“N-no. And you don’t -” you started to repeat, but Mando cut you off.  
“Let me - just once and if you don’t like it I’ll stop. My - the safeword is Bespin. Okay?”  
“I - Okay.” you gave in, wanting to know what it felt like to have his tongue on you. And if this only happened once, then it only happened once and that would be enough for you.  
“What’s the safeword?” he asked you, making sure you knew that this could end whenever you choose, if you so chose.  
“Bespin.” you replied.  
His fingers curled against your thighs, spreading them open just a little wider, and then his tongue started to swirl gentle circles around your swollen clit. You tossed your head back and it sank into the plush material of the mattress as his tongue continued to lap at your core.  
Your hands fisted the sheets, your senses felt almost overwhelmed at the new sensations and stimulus that you were experiencing. A breathy moan left you as you tried to steady your erratic breathing, but all your effort was thrown out the door when Mando teased a finger around the edge of your folds, gathering and coating himself in your arousal. His touch was feather light, growing in pressure with each circle around your entrance and over your clit. And just when you were getting used to this new feeling, he sunk two fingers inside your aching cunt. He pulled away for a second and you whined at the loss of his tongue against you.  
“That’s a good girl. Keep making those pretty sounds for me.” he encouraged you, loving the way you clenched around his fingers.  
Your fingers buried themselves into thick waves of his hair as he continued to work two fingers inside your tight cunt, working on opening you up to take his massive cock. Your nails raked across his scalp, making him moan into you sending the vibrations through your entire body.   
You let out a strangled moan like whine as he continued to work his fingers into you, lapping at the arousal that coated his thick digits and dripped down onto his hand. And he was so unbelievably slow, continuing to flick his hot tongue through your folds and finger fuck you, taking his time as he worked to build you up to your first orgasm of the night.  
And that was when you felt it, the steady burn that had been boiling inside your stomach started to crescendo, burning hotter and brighter than it ever had before. He felt you clench around his fingers and had to use his free hand to pin you down as your hips bucked upwards, seeking more of his mouth. But he didn’t increase his pacing, which made your eyes roll to the back of your head.  
“- I’m gonna -” you gasped out, your hands slid over your breasts, and your neck and into your hair as your back arched almost painfully. “ - gonna cum.”  
A deep growl vibrated into your core, tipping you over the edge. His fingers curled inside you, pressing hard against something so absolutely fucking devastating inside you, it shattered you. He worked you through your orgasm with his fingers and mouth, making sure to drive you completely insane.  
He slowly pulled out of your soaked cunt and held your thighs open with wet fingers, pausing momentarily to give your sensitive clit a few more lazy, gentle flicks and only let go of you once you whimpered softly, jerking away from the over stimulation. And then he brought his cum coated fingers to his mouth, sucking and licking every drop of cum off of his heated skin, trying to make the taste of you last until he could fuck you again.  
He moved slightly, pushing you upwards on the bed, making room for him as he settled between your legs as he lined himself up at your entrance.  
The tip of his cock only made it past your entrance, before Din had to stop moving - afraid he was going to cum before he could get completely inside you. Your cunt was incredibly tight, and it took an incredible amount of control to not cum right then and there. Your wet walls squeezed down around what was inside you, and Din couldn’t wait to be completely sheathed in your pretty little pussy. His eyes moved from where your bodies were connected and moved up towards your face. He breathed slowly, inhaling deeply before softly rocking his hips forwards more, sinking more of himself inside your heat.  
“You’re so big,” you gasped out, your hand wandering down to press against the slight bulge in your lower abdomen when he sat fully inside you, just shy of brushing against your cervix.  
Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as Mando moaned above you, loving the way your cunt squeezed around his cock, molding yourself to fit him perfectly. He rubbed somewhere deep inside of you that made you clench almost painfully around him. You could feel the hard outline of his erection beneath your palm, beneath your skin, deep inside your soaked pussy.  
“Fuck - fuck - fuck!” you gasped out, the feeling of being completely full ruining your ability to speak coherent thoughts.  
“How are you so kriffing big Mando?”  
He twitched inside you at your words and you gasped, being able to feel the movement beneath your hand. His large hand came down to where you were joined, his fingers brushing over your sensitive clit. Mando continued circling your clit with only the barest of touches from his fingertips, teasing and toying with you as he committed every reaction that your body had to his memory.  
“Have you gone cock dumb, little one?” he teased you.  
You couldn’t answer him. The feeling of him inside you, stretching you to your very limit overwhelmed all of your senses. You squeezed your eyes shut as you felt the blindfold slip off your head, falling somewhere on the pillows beneath you.  
“Wait…wait…Bespin!” you gasped out your hands landing on his shoulders and chest.  
Mando stilled instantly, his cock still buried to the hilt inside of you hitting something intoxicating. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” he asked, his voice full of fear.  
“No, I’m fine.” you told him, shifting just slightly underneath him. His hips involuntarily rolled into yours, making the two of you groan or gasp at the sudden movement.  
“What’s wrong?” he asked again.  
“The blindfold came loose.” you admitted to him.  
“Oh… you can.. you can leave it off.” he said, but sounded a little unsure.  
“I can wear it… I just need to find it again.” you told him.  
“No… I trust you.” he said so gently, it almost brought tears to your eyes.  
“You trust me that much?” you questioned him.  
His lips found yours, and he kissed you feverishly, as if he could show you how much he trusted and cared for you instead of telling you with words. Your hands pressed against his chest, feeling how his muscles tensed under your soft touch, and he couldn’t help but moan into your mouth.  
“More than anything in the galaxy.” he confessed to you.  
He pulled away, but you leant forwards chasing after his lips. When you found them again, you could feel the little smile that he tried to chase away.  
“I can wear the blindfold if you want me to Mando…” you repeated, only this time your words held more weight.  
You were asking to continue this - to continue whatever this strange and complicated relationship was. And you’re promising to always wear the blindfold whenever he wanted you to. You’re promising to let him do whatever he wanted to you whenever he wanted.  
You’re promising him a future if he wanted it.  
“Leave it off for now… I have plans to use that blindfold later.” he said, before kissing you.  
Before you could craft a response, he started moving. His thrusts are precise and deep, leaving nothing to chance as he hit that one delicate and delicious spot over and over again inside you.  
“Take me so well…” he grunted.  
Whimpers and gasps escaped you at how good he felt, at how well he knew how to pleasure your body. How he filled you to the extreme over and over again just to leave you almost completely empty a second later, only to fill you again and again.  
“That’s it pre-pretty girl,” he praised you, fingers flexing on your hips as he continued to fuck you.   
Your body tensed and squeezed around him, and Mando shushed you before you realized you were making too much noise - noise that would surely attract the Kid if you weren’t careful.  
“There you go… cum for me.”  
His words shoved you right over that cliff. Everything squeezed around him so unbearably tight as your hands dug into his back, your fingernails raked down his spine leaving small trails of blood in their wake, your back arched off the bed as your pussy constricted his thick, massive cock until you felt like you were hurting the both of you. Mando’s breath caught in your ear as he rasped out, “good girl.” before he sank his teeth into the crook of your neck, and bit down hard.  
His words snapped something inside you and the praise nearly made you cry into his neck, all while launching your body even higher into mind-blowing euphoria. You cum hard for him, on him, around him. You downright drowned his cock, suffocated him and worked out the aching tightness in your pussy all over him until you felt like you couldn’t breathe anymore.  
Behind your closed eyelids, you could see and felt the Force as it flowed between the two of you, wrapping and unraveling your auras together, mixing them together until they shared a faint hint of each of your distinct colors within one another. Tears slipped from your eyes, and slid down your cheeks as you felt part of you changing now that a part of Mando’s aura joined with yours.  
His body slumped against yours, pinning you against the mattress as the two of you came down from your euphoric highs. Mando’s weight smothered your body, and you welcomed the skin on skin contact, loving the way he felt pressed against you with his breath fanning across your face.  
“Fuck you’re perfect.” he whispered, and the praise made you feel fuzzy inside.  
Your hand came to cup the side of his stubbly cheek, and as you arch forward to kiss him you spoke softly, “As much as I love being crushed under your weight, you have to move… I can’t breathe.”  
“Do I take your breath away?” he laughed above you.  
A smile slowly bloomed across your face before you broke out into a small fit of giggles before full on laughing at his silly little joke. The two of you laughed in the dark until tears streamed down your face, and the two of you struggled to cool down.  
His hands wrapped around you, pressing against your back in what you thought was a hug, until his thighs tensed under yours, and he hauled you onto his chest as he flopped onto his back with his head on your pillows.  
Your breasts and stomach squished against his, and you felt gross as the layers of sweat were beginning to dry and stick to the Mandalorian’s own sweat covered skin. A shower was first on your to-do list tomorrow… just after sucking off the Mandalorian to wake him up.  
“So… do you like the bed?” he asked, still sounding out of breath. But you could hear the hesitation and slight worry he had in his tone.  
“It’s the best bed in the galaxy.” you answered honestly. You wanted to go another round with him beneath the sheets, but your body was exhausted and you bet Mando was equally as tired since he only just returned from his latest bounty hunt.   
“Oh yeah?” he questioned, a laugh escaping him.  
“Yeah… especially with you in it.” you told him with a yawn. You don’t see the way his cheeks heat up, but you could hear his heart beat faster. Your eyes fluttered shut as a large smile made its way onto your face as you nuzzled into his side.  
“Sleep cyare… you’ll need all the rest you can get now that I’ve had a taste of what you can handle.” he promises you as he pressed a kiss to your forehead.   
Takodana really was one of the most beautiful planets in the galaxy - especially with the Mandalorian at your side.  
*  
Your initial plan when you woke up was going to have to wait. You awoke with Mando’s arms still wrapped tightly around you, keeping you close to his chest with his cock still firmly stuffed inside you. Your walls clenched around his impossibly large length, making your breath hitch in your chest. Your hand snaked down to rest over the slight bulge protruding from your lower stomach from where Mando was sunk inside you. He was huge, and it felt like he was still rock hard.  
A hard shiver wracked your body, raising goosebumps across every inch of your exposed skin as you shifted in the Mandalorian’s arms. Shifting, you rolled off of his warm chest and slipped from his cock. The emptiness he left behind made you shiver again as the mixture of your cum slipped down your thighs. Moving from the bed - which had given you the best sleep you’d had in a long time - you moved out of your room and into the refresher to clean up before you made more of a mess.  
Standing under the spray of the water, you washed away the evidence of what transpired last night. As the warm water cascaded down your body, slipping over your skin, you wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed with Mando and never leave.  
But you had an important task to do before the sun was completely up.  
You grabbed the sacred tree sap that Mando had given you from the safe in the weapon’s cabinet, and retrieved your lightsaber before disengaging ground protocols to step outside. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, the large sun making Nymeve lake glitter in the morning glow.  
Your bare feet padded across the soft dirt, making your way to the edge of the lake where you sank down on the ground and began to dismantle your lightsaber.  
With several pieces scattered on the earth around you, you gingerly removed the cracked kyber crystal from within the heart of your lightsaber. The broken crystal warmed the center of your palm as you held it up, inspecting the deep and jagged crack that ran through the gem. The little crystal oddly reminded you of the silver metal ball that the Kid loved to teeth on.  
The blue iridescent crystal you had once found on Jedha with your Master no longer glistened with the pretty blue and white iridescent color you’d found it as. Now it had dulled and grayed - almost dying in a way, and it broke your heart to see it like this.  
You placed the kyber crystal in your lap, before reaching for the small vial of sap that sat before you in the dirt. The amber liquid glowed in your palm, reminding you of the Mandalorian’s aura - the very same aura which you now shared a small piece of.  
You couldn’t stop the small amused chuckle that escaped you as you took in the similarities that presented themselves as a strange coincidence. Mando’s golden aura almost matched the amber color of the sap he had graciously gifted to you, and the kyber crystal matched your aura perfectly since it had bonded with you all those years ago… and felt almost like destiny that you were with the Mandalorian now. It was almost comical how the Force worked in mysterious ways throughout the galaxy.  
You carefully uncorked the uneti sap, and held it in one palm, while you held your kyber crystal in the other. Inhaling deeply, you closed your eyes and let the Force flow through you, into the crystal and into the sap, heating everything up, making the temperature rise to the needed degree in order to mend your crystal. You reached out into the Force, asking and pleading with all of those who had come before you for their aid and their guidance to help you fix what had been broken during battle when you and Mando had run from Nevarro, trying to get the Child to safety.  
“Here you go tiny star.” a voice growled through the Force and into your heart.  
You opened your eyes when the sap felt hot enough, and when you looked down you saw and felt how strong the sap would be if it took when fusing your kyber crystal back together. Bringing your hands together, you gingerly poured the tree sap into the jagged crack that ran through the kyber crystal, letting the sap seep into every nook and cranny, watching as it slowly began to fuse together.  
The morning sun’s light was nothing compared to how brightly the sap and the crystal shone as they began to combine and fuse together as one, strengthening each other as they bonded together.  
A moment later, your crystal was completely repaired, showing no signs of ever having a massive crack within it. With shaky nervous hands, you began to reconstruct your lightsaber in order to see if your kyber crystal had truly healed or not.  
As you screwed the last piece into place, you stood up at the edge of the lake, and prepared yourself for the two possible outcomes that could happen. You were either going to have to chuck your lightsaber into the water to keep the crystal from torching the entire forest around you… or your lightsaber was going to ignite and your crystal would be healed.  
Taking a steadying breath and sending a silent prayer to the Maker, you ignited your lightsaber.  
The iconic sound of your lightsaber igniting filled the air as the whitish blue glow of the plasma surrounded you. Your eyes grew wide as pure and raw joy bloomed in your chest.  
You had done it.  
Your lightsaber was fixed.  
“Cyare?” Mando’s voice called out from behind you, along with a small coo from the Child.  
You turned around with the rising sun blazing brightly behind you, shrouding you in a halo of light, and for a moment, Din wondered if he'd died. You looked ethereal and divine, and he wondered why he hadn’t told you how beautiful you were before this very moment. A smile - a true, and pure smile - spread across your face, no longer making the Mandalorian worry if something was wrong.  
The Kid’s high pitched squeal of delight echoed between the two of you as he shimmied in Mando’s arms in excitement. His big brown eyes were glued to your lightsaber, which burned brighter than it ever had before. Your eyes proudly fell to the bluish white light that radiated from the ignited hilt before gleefully looking back at Mando and the Kid.  
“I did it!” you said, your excitement nearly matching the Kid’s.  
Din’s eyes stayed on the lightsaber, as he adjusted the Kid in his arms. He knew you would never hurt the Kid, but he didn’t completely trust the burning laser sword like he did with his blasters and flamethrower.  
“You fixed it?” he asked, almost in disbelief. He didn’t understand how tree sap could fix a cracked gem, but now that he saw how happy you were with your laser sword working again, he knew trading in his beskar was worth it. Seeing you like this made all this worth it.   
You nod your head as your eyes filled with happy tears and a shit eating grin spread across your face. You twirled the lightsaber in your hand, making it travel and twirl behind your back before bringing it in front of your body again. The Kid chattered, clearly entertained by your saber spinning. You thumb flicked over the ignition button, powering down your lightsaber to put Mando at ease.  
You tucked the hilt of your lightsaber away, letting it hang by your side before moving closer to the Mandalorian and the Kid. You stopped a foot away from him, your smile radiating brighter than the sun behind you.  
“I can’t thank you enough.” you told him, as you tried to control your emotional tears.  
“It was nothing.” Mando dismissed it, but you won’t let him skate over such an impactful gesture.  
“No one has ever done something like that for me. I know you don’t want it… but I am forever in your debt.” you vowed to him.  
Mando swallowed before he nodded once at you, unsure of what to say or how to respond to such a weighty vow. The Kid reached outwards for you, and you gently took the green baby from Mando’s arms.  
“You weren’t there when I woke up.” Mando said as you rubbed the baby’s forehead.  
“This had to be done during sunrise…” you responded, before continuing. “….I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t have to.”  
Mando watched as your eyes flickered downwards towards his crotch, making him harden slightly. And he decided then and there that he would have you again… he has to.  
“Now what?” Mando asked, his helmet tilting toward the newly fixed lightsaber at your hip.  
With an elated smile you looked from the lightsaber, to the Kid and then to Mando.  
“Now we take on anyone and everyone in the galaxy.” 


	6. Chapter 6: Not So Fast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tatooine is not the place you imagined it to be. And when you run into old and new enemies things get torn apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: violence, injuries (dislocated shoulder, blaster shot, punches), blood, death, language, inappropriate sexual remarks about reader, readers past, angst, sadness, kidnapping (briefly mentioned/hinted at/implied)  
> 10,344 words

Leaving Takodana had hurt, and you felt the ache of leaving deep in your heart, in your soul. It had felt like a place you could build a home with the Kid and Mando. But all that had come to an abrupt end when another member of the Guild - Riot Mar - had showed up with a tracking fob for the Kid - which led to your current situation.

You were being thrashed and thrown about in the cockpit as Mando tried to maneuver the _ Razor Crest _ through open space, trying to escape those trailing after him while hunting the Kid.

“Hand over the Kid Mando.” spoke a man’s voice over the comms system.

A blaster shot hit the  _ Crest, _ sending your side into a wall as sparks sputtered from the console. Mando hissed under his breath, and frantically pressed a few buttons, trying to stabilize whatever damage your pursuer had caused.

“I might just let you live.” taunted Riot Mar.

The impact of another blaster shot shook the  _ Crest _ , making the ship shudder violently. The baby whimpered in his cot in the copilot's chair. You tried to steady your erratic footing, but found yourself being thrown up against the back wall. And just as you righted your footing, the left engine was hit, throwing you to the ground as the _ Razor Crest _ violently tipped sideways. Mando rapidly flipped a few switches, and gripped the joystick to maneuver the  _ Razor Crest _ . 

“Hold on.” he said, but you could barely hear him over the roar inside the  _ Crest _ . Getting to the other chair in the cockpit was proving to be an impossible task.

The ship spun, throwing you against the ceiling before smashing you onto the ground again. You gripped the seat the Kid sat in and tried to figure out which was up or down as Mando continued to navigate away from the person pursuing you.

“I can bring ya in warm, or I can bring ya in cold.”

A wave of impending dread washed over you as your eyes locked onto the back of Mando’s helmet. The Force screamed within you to move, to get to safety, but you knew it wasn’t that simple. You couldn’t go anywhere in the vast blackness of space. A dozen blaster shots riddled the hull of the  _ Crest, _ making the engines shudder from strain. Your torso crashed up against the back of the copilot’s chair and you watched as Mando thrust his arms forwards, kicking the  _ Razor Crest _ into reverse, which threw you backwards into the wall again.

The pursuers ship came into range, and with a press of a button Mando had locked on target.

“That’s my line.” Mando said, and then blew up the spacecraft. 

A renowned silence filled the air as the  _ Crest _ sputtered along through space, drifting with a slight purpose thanks to the one engine that still worked. Frantic alarms blared and beeped from the console, alerting the three of you to all of the problems that had arisen.

You peeled yourself off the floor, and winced when you rose to your full height. You had most definitely pulled something in your shoulder, which meant you’d have to have the Mandalorian look at it or you’d have to go to a healer on the next planet you stopped at. You suppressed a whimper as you pulled yourself into the other chair in the cockpit. Mando continually flipped switches and pressed buttons, trying to assess the damage that had been done during the firefight.

“We’re losing fuel.” he stated.

And then the power went out. 

Mando panicked as he looked at the dead console before him before shifting in the pilot’s seat to look at the Kid. He giggled and laughed as if he hadn’t been in a fire fight just minutes ago. Your heartbeat drowned out the silence that filled the cockpit as the  _ Razor Crest  _ floated through space, and you felt the momentary panic that went through the Mandalorian.

Mando played with the controls and switches, trying to gauge what worked and what didn’t, and when nothing happened he swiftly turned from his seat and stood. He shuffled in the dark towards you, and at first you thought he was coming to check on you, but when he moved behind you and pressed a button which started the emergency power, your heart sank a little bit in your chest. 

He sat back down without a word and fired up the _ Crest _ again, this time navigating to the nearest planet he could find.

“This is Mos Eisley Tower. We’re tracking you. Head for Bay 3-5. Over.” spoke the spaceport operator.

“Copy that.” Mando replied before turning on a couple of different switches above his head. “Locked in for 3-5.” 

The landing was a little rocky, what with the one busted engine and what not, but for the most part the descent onto Tatooine was bumpy but harmless. Mando wrapped the Kid in a dusty blue scarf when he noticed the little guy falling asleep in his cot, and brought him down to the hull where he gently laid him inside their shared little bunk so he could sleep peacefully.

Letting the door slide closed, he turned to you. With a single nod, he walked towards the ramp and waited for it to lower. As the ramp lowered, ready to release you and the Mandalorian, you saw three little DUM-series pit droids walking towards the  _ Crest _ with repair tools in their hands. A blaster shot blinded you as the pit droids yelped and cowered in their shells like turtles. Your head whipped to the side as your hand hovered above your lightsaber in case you needed to defend yourself and the Mandalorian. 

“Hey!” a woman’s voice echoed through the hangar, as you watched the Mandalorian put away his blaster. 

The pit droids popped up, and scampered away as you watched with wide eyes as the Mandalorian descended the ramp. Your breath caught in your throat - watching Mando use his blaster was  _ hot _ .

“Hey!” she screamed again as she clambered out of her booth. “You damage one of my droids, you’ll pay for it.”

“Just keep them away from my ship.” Mando said as she stopped in front of him, her datapad clutched in her hands. You took in the shorter, older woman. A dozen dirt and oil smudges were streaked across her face, and her hands looked no better. She was a real working woman, and you could respect her for that. You slowly moved down the ramp, and came to stand behind Mando. 

“Yeah? You think that’s a good idea do you?” she asked, sarcasm lacing her words. You pressed your lips together to keep your laughter at bay. “Let’s take a look at your ship.”

She sauntered sideways, after casting you a suspicious glance, and began to inspect the Mandalorian’s ship. She walked up to the old metal deathtrap, and banged on the side of it. Several other metal objects clanged inside, which made you cringe.

“Ohh, look at that.” she commented as she whipped out a device you had no clue about. “You’ve got a lot of carbon scoring building up top. Yeah.”

She sighed as she walked up to the landing gears, taking a good look at the mechanics inside. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were in a shootout. Special tool for that one.”

You cast your eyes to the Mandalorian to your side, with one question ringing in your head.  _ How the hell were you going to pay for this? _ Credits were tight - and after the bed he bought you... you were going to have to scrape together everything you could find. You made a mental note to send off a holomessage to an old friend of yours on Venaari who could help out with your credit situation, but for now you’d have to find another way to pay for the repairs to the  _ Razor Crest. _

“Yeah… I’m gonna have to rotate that. You got a fuel leak!” she shouted back at you. “Look at that. This is a mess. How did you even land? That’s gonna set you back.”

She turned back towards you and Mando. Casually, Mando rested his hand against the front of his belt, and held his head high. Your eyes followed the movement of his hand before catching yourself, remembering you were in the presence of someone else - someone unfamiliar. You couldn’t drool over the best bounty hunter in the galaxy right now. There would be time to drool for him later. 

“I have 500 Imperial credits.” he said before handing over a small stack of old gunmetal credits.

“That’s all you got?” she asked, but still took the credits from him. “Well… what do you guys think?” she asked, turning to the pit droids. All three of the little droids gave her a dissatisfied answer, which in turn made the woman frown slightly. She turned to look back at the ship.

“That should at least cover the hangar.” she said, skeptically looking the Mandalorian up and down. 

“I’ll get you your money.” he promised her.

“Mmm. I’ve heard that before.” she sassed him. You couldn’t stop the smirk that spread across your face. This lady was going to give Mando a run for his money.

“Just remember…” Mando began.

“Yeah no droids. I heard ya. You don’t have to say it twice.”

Mando stared at the woman for a moment, before turning away in search of a cantina where he could probably find work in exchange for credits to pay the woman.

“Jeez. Womp rat.” she said before turning to look at you. “How do you put up with him?”

“He pays me well.” you said, unsure of how to answer her. How could you explain the strange and complicated way you’d come into the Mandalorian’s life in a few simple sentences, and to a complete stranger at that?

The woman glanced down the credits in her hand before looking pointedly back up at you with a little fire in her eyes.

“Well… he isn’t paying you in credits I’m sure.”

You nervously laughed, and scratched the back of your neck as you took in the meaning of her comment. He didn’t pay you in credits but in sex. And she wasn’t wrong… but she wasn’t right either.

“We’ll get you your money.” you promised her.

She nodded and you took that as your cue to go after Mando - the Kid would be asleep for a while, so searching for work would be easier.

“Honey!” the woman called out after you.

You spun around when you got to the door, and looked at her. Her eyes dropped pointedly at the lightsaber on your hip.

“Be careful where you wander.”

*

You realized when you stepped into the streets that Mando was nowhere to be seen and in that split second of not knowing where he was made your heart panic. Your eyes frantically swept the sandy streets, running over everyone and everything looking for the familiar glint of the beskar and his large imposing and threatening form.

When you didn’t find him, your feet took you further into the city of Mos Eisley. You wandered down street after street, searching for Mando among the sand colored buildings that all started to look the same after wandering for a while.

_ Where was he? _

You wandered down Corporation Road, and then turned onto Curved Street, before that led to Outer Curved Street. You doubled back after getting confused on Straight Street, and somehow ended up on Spacers Row with your heart beating a million parsecs a minute.

_ Where was he? _

You froze in the middle of a street, one you’d gotten completely lost on, and willed yourself to calm down. He was here  _ somewhere _ , you just had to think logically about it. You knew he’d go somewhere - like a cantina - in search of work… you just had no clue where that damn cantina might be, if there wasn’t more than one in this kriffing city.

_ Where was he? _

Closing your eyes, you let the world around you slip away, each one of your senses turned off leaving you alone with your thoughts and the Force. In your own safe little bubble, you reached out, searching for the Mandalorian, following the wispy hint of his aura towards Chalmun’s Cantina.

_ Where was he? _

Stepping inside, you noticed how empty the cantina was. You suppressed a violent shiver inside the stuffy and hot cantina. Something felt off in here and the sand everywhere couldn’t be healthy for anyone. Two bartenders manned the bar, while a dozen or so patrons were scattered around the establishment - with the Mandalorian standing at the bar directly in front of you. 

_ There he was. _

“I am afraid that does not improve your situation, at least by my calculation.” spoke the EV-series bartendress droid behind the counter.

Turning your head to the left, your eyes found an occupied booth, the seats well worn and the table dirty with equally dusty boots kicked up on the table's surface. You stared at the table, the faintest hues of a once familiar aura lingered in the air, drawing you in towards the occupied table. You gave no mind to whoever occupied it - they were of no concern to you. The lingering aura was, however. 

“Think again tin can.” spoke the owner of the dusty boots.

Mando spun around, and looked at the owner of the boots after he spared you a glance. A sharp pang of jealousy shot through him when he noticed the intense and interested gaze you gave to the man at the booth. And then a wave of anxiety followed the jealousy.  _ Would you like what you saw underneath his helmet?  _ With the way you were staring at the guy in the booth, Mando saw what he had to compete with… and he knew he might not win.  _ Had confessing his love to you been the wrong thing to do? _

But then the jealousy died down as the logical side of his brain kicked in. He’d seen the way you came apart beneath him. He knew you loved him in return. He had nothing to worry about and he was going to show it to this  _ kid _ if he got the chance.

“If you’re looking for work, have a seat my friend.” the man gestured to the seat in front of him.

“Name’s Toro. Toro Calican.” He looked your way. “Come on, relax.”

“ _ Cyare _ .” Mando said from your right.

You looked at him, and couldn’t help but feel like you were in trouble for something you didn’t do… even if you thought of going over there on your own. You cast your eyes to the floor as your chest grew hot with embarrassment. You hadn’t been checking out Calican - you’d been invested in the aura that was rapidly slipping away from you… so why did you feel like this?

Mando sat down across from Calican, and wrapped his arms around your waist before pulling you down across his thighs. His arm stayed possessively around your middle, holding you close to him. Your lightsaber dug into your side, and you knew it must have been crushed up against one of his ribs from the way he shifted slightly beneath you. You tried to stand to change positions, but Calican laid a puck on the table, and a woman’s face appeared, forcing you to stop moving.

“Picked up this Bounty Puck before I left the Mid Rim. Fennec Shand, an assassin.” Calican said, keeping his eyes trained mostly on you.

You kept your face as neutral as possible as you stared at Calican and Shand, your eyes lingered on the mercenary. You’d encountered her long ago - a few years after your Master had died and you were a little lost in the galaxy without him and his guidance. As your eyes flickered back to Calican you saw his aura - a faded denim blue color - just hovering around him like a fog or mist or a sand storm. You’d only ever seen a shapeless aura once in your life… and your Master had died a few moments later.

Toro Calican was attractive in that bad-boy kind of way. His hair was cropped short and the dark tactical gear he wore made him look dangerous, dark and enticing. The one earring he wore was definitely tacky, and part of you wondered how much it would be worth if you took it from him. But you could see why men and women could be seduced by this almost-man… But with the Mandalorian behind you, with his arm wrapped around your waist, there was nothing to compare. You tuned back into the conversation before you, and scolded yourself for tuning out. If Calican was trouble, you needed to be alert.

“… Should be an easy job.” Calican stated as he lowered the tracking fob he pulled out.

Mando pat the side of your thigh, nearly touched your ass, signalling for you to get up. You slid off of him, and he followed.

“Well… good luck with that.” Mando said, declining the kid’s offer.

“Wait, wait, wait, hey. I thought you needed work?” Calican asked.

“How long you been with the Guild?” Mando asked as he turned back to look at Calican.

“Long enough.” Calican bristled at the question and you could hear he was lying.

“Clearly not.” Mando replied. “Fennec Shand is an elite mercenary. She made her name killing for all the top crime syndicates… including the Hutts.”

You shivered at his words, knowing from personal experience that the Hutts were not people you wanted to mess with. Calican turned his head away and pursed his lips as he tried to hide his embarrassment for being caught in an obvious lie.

“If you go after her, you won’t make it past sunrise.” Mando said.

Mando gestured towards the exit, and just as the two of you made it up a step or two, Calican came up behind you with a bit of an edge to his voice. “This is my first job.”

Mando froze, listening as Calican spoke. “You can keep the money. All of it.”

Turning fully around, Calican took the opportunity to broker a deal with Mando. Calican looked like an eager little puppy, eyes wide and a face that was eager to please.

“I just need this job to get into the Guild. I can’t do it alone.” Calican scoffed at the end.

You cocked your head to the side. He couldn’t do it alone? That - that was the whole point of the Guild. Bounty hunters rarely worked with other bounty hunters. You stared at Calican, a ‘ _ are-you-fucking-dumb _ ’ look written across your features.

Mando sighed and looked down at Calican.

“Meet me at hangar 3-5 in half an hour. Bring three speeder bikes and give me the tracking fob.”

Calican’s face erupted in happiness before he froze. He looked down at the tracking fob as it flashed, and before quickly smashing it against the wall, breaking it.

Mando’s helmet tilted sideways giving Calican the ‘ _ are-you-fucking-stupid _ ’ look, minus the facial features. And somehow without seeing his face, the helmet made that ‘ _ are-you-fucking-dumb _ ’ look much more pronounced.

“Don’t worry, got it all memorized.” he smiled as he tapped the side of his head.

“Half an hour.” Mando said, before turning to lightly push you out of the cantina.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me now partner!” Calican called after you.

*

You made it outside the cantina before you pulled Mando into an abandoned alleyway, forcing him to stop in front of you. Your mind was a little foggy from nearly panicking earlier when you thought you’d lost him in the streets of Mos Eisley.

Mando tilted his head at you, waiting for you to explain yourself.

Taking a deep breath, you crossed your arms over your chest and looked at his visor trying to pinpoint where his eyes might be. You wondered what color Mando’s eyes were and you wonder what color your children’s eyes would be. Would they take after yours or would they be blessed by the Maker and take after Mando?

“What?” he asked when you disappeared into your little daydream.

You inhaled sharply, and got back to your train of thought.

“Do you remember when you were turning me and the Kid over to the Client? When I stopped on those stairs and told you I had a bad feeling?” you quizzed him.

Mando nodded. Of course he remembered. Looking back on that moment, he regretted every decision he’d made when he turned the two of you over for a camtono of beskar.

“Well… I have a bad feeling now.” you told him.

“We need the credits.” was all Mando said.

And of course you knew you needed the credits - how else were you going to get the ship fixed? Having no way to out run those who were after the Kid and you was not an option. But it didn’t help that a bad feeling washed over you and clung to your skin like a thick blanket of humidity…. which was something this planet severely lacked, so feeling this bad feeling clinging so tightly to you made you feel even worse about what was coming.

“Come with me. Make sure I don’t die.” Mando said, hoping that might ease the tension in the air around you.

“What about the Kid?” you asked.

“I’m sure we can leave him with -”

“- she’ll charge us more credits.”

“Then we pay more credits.” Mando said, as he reached outwards and placed one of his hands on your shoulder and the other on your bicep. With a quick twist, pain flared up your arm before it dissipated quickly. Mando inspected your realigned shoulder before stepping passed you and into the light flow of traffic in the city streets.

“Mando!” you called after him, running to catch up to the shiny metal man that walked away from you. You’d completely forgotten about your injured shoulder, and were grateful that Mando had fixed it even without giving you a warning. 

Mando didn’t turn around to acknowledge you as he walked through the streets, and made his way back to the spaceport hangar. You fall in step beside him, hovering slightly behind him as your feet scuffed against the ground, kicking up sand every now and again.

You knew your mind raced in a million directions, trying to figure out how to pay for all the repairs to the _ Crest _ , how to keep yourself and Mando alive when you didn’t trust Calican, how you wanted to keep the Kid and Mando safe but you knew you would have to abandon one to keep the other safe for the time being.

And then you felt it. A strong and strange pull from across the desert. There was an urge deep within your soul to go out into the Jundland Wastes and find what was out there with such a strong presence in the Force.

What or who was out there, calling to you?

*

The two of you b-lined back to the  _ Crest. _ Mando wanted to prepare for hunting down Shand as fast as possible, while you … well you wanted to figure out what that strange aura was inside the cantina.

Mando ascended the ramp, and walked into the hull of the  _ Crest _ only to come running out a moment later, anger and panic rolled off of him in waves.

“Hey!” he snapped towards the booth.

“I’m awake! I’m awake!” the woman shouted as she jolted out of her chair.

“Where is he?” Mando snapped in your direction. The pit droid next to you cowered in its shell again. You froze, panic gripping you as you realized what his harsh words implied.

_The Kid was_ _missing_.

“Quiet!” the woman pleaded as she moved out of the booth.

She shushed the Child as she moved toward the two of you, after she gave you a disapproving, tired look. 

“You woke it up. Do you have any idea how long it took me to get it to sleep?” she asked.

“Give him to me.” Mando said, his voice low and threatening as his hand hovered over his blaster. At his words, your hand lowered to your lightsaber as you moved to stand beside Mando. If she wasn’t going to give the Kid back, blood would be spilt inside hangar 3-5.

“Not so fast.” she said as she shifted her body in front of the Kid.

“You can’t just leave a child all alone like that. You know you have an awful lot to learn about raising a young one.” She scolded the two of you before looking down at the cooing Kid in her arms.

“Anyway, I started the repair on the fuel leak.” she said as she typed something into the machine you were standing next to not a moment ago. She smacked the side of the machine to get it up and running again after it had powered down to preserve power. 

“There you go. I had a couple of setbacks I wanted to talk to you about. You know I didn’t use any droids as requested, so it took me a lot longer than I expected.” the woman continued to speak as Mando ascended the ramp again, taking your lightsaber with him, and grabbed a single rucksack from the cargo hold before he returned to your side. He handed you one of the blasters he’d gifted to you on Takodana before turning to look at the woman.

“But I figured you were good for the money since you have an extra mouth to feed.” she said, her eyes flickered back and forth between the two of you. You could see her piecing things together.

Mando. You. The small weird green baby in her arms. Were the three of you a family?

“Thank you.” Mando said.

“Oh.” she breathed, clearly not expecting Mando to thank her. “Oh, I guess I was right. You got a job, didn’t you?”

You followed behind the woman and Mando, listening as she rambled on about her business. For a split second, you sought her out through the Force and took in her aura. You had to double check that leaving the child with her was a safe and correct decision to make. 

Her name was Peli Motto and she’d been on Tatooine at her repair shop for nearly 30 years. Her bright yellow aura was almost comical in comparison to the two suns that hung in the sky above you. If you were going to leave the Kid with anyone, he was safest with Peli.

Your eyes fell on Calican as he leaned against two speeder bikes.

“Hey Mando.” he said before turning to you with a wink. “Hotness, what do you think? Not to shabby huh?”

“Don’t call me that.” you snapped at him. Calican’s eyes roamed over your body, lingering on your breasts for a second too long, which made your body itch.

You suppressed the urge to gag at Calican’s less than appealing nickname for you, and chose to inspect the speeder bike that Calican had acquired instead. Sure there weren’t three speeders, but you could make do with two.

“What did you expect? This ain’t Corellia. Ma’am.” Calican said, turning his attention to Peli.

You openly glared at Calican as he took note of the Kid in her arms, before he turned to mount his speeder. He could show Peli some manners but when it came to you he was a creep? _Fuck_ _him_.

The Kid cooed in Peli’s arms as Mando mounted his speeder, and then grabbed your waist, hauling you in front of him. He pulled you back against his chest, and you couldn’t stop the way your breath hitched in your chest. You adjusted the goggles and cowl that had Mando handed you, and then you were off.

The wind whipped through your hair and sand cut into your exposed skin as the suns beat down on you as the three of you sped across the desert. Part of you wished you had said goodbye to the Kid, but you knew he was in safe hands… so you couldn’t be too worried about him. You had more pressing matters to deal with… like if Calican could be trusted or not. And you had to figure out what that faint aura in the cantina was.

A couple hours later, Mando pulled the bikes to a halt when he caught a glimpse of something ahead. Pulling off his own cowl and goggles, Calican looked over at the two of you. As you squint into the desert you could make out something moving in the distance.

“What’s going on?” Calican asked.

“Look up ahead.” Mando instructed him.

You heard banthas moaning in the distance, but you couldn’t make out what was going on down in the dunes. Calican slid off his speeder, and grabbed a pair of binoculars from one of his saddlebags. Mando tapped the outside of your thigh again, asking you to get off the bike so he could also get up. You slid off the bike, and stretched while Mando waited, and casually leaned on the bike.

Calican walked a few paces before putting the binoculars to his face. You followed after him, wanting to get a better look even though you had no binoculars.

“Tusken raiders. I heard the locals talking about this filth.” Calican said.

You turned around and looked back at Mando with an eyebrow raised before movement caught your eye. Two Tusken raiders approached your little party, which made you nervous. You glanced back at Mando, willing yourself to make no sudden movements, just in case.

“Tuskens think they’re the locals. Everyone else is just trespassing.” Mando said which Calican scoffed at.

You looked from Mando to Calican’s back, shifting your feet over the sand. Was Mando not going to tell Calican about the Tuskens to his left?

“Well whatever they call themselves they best keep their distance.” Calican taunted them.

“Yeah? Why don’t you tell them yourself?” Mando taunted the kid.

Calican spun around, confused by Mando’s words until he spotted your new company. The Tuskens yelled, which made Calican jump and reach for his blaster. Calican looked between you and Mando, unsure of what to do.

With a sigh, Mando slid off the bike and raised a hand at Calican, telling him to “Relax.”

Mando came to stand by you, and began to sign to the Tuskens. You watched as his hands work, moving over one another before using his arm to gesture towards you and Calican. You watched him make a box of some sort, and then motioned his hand forwards, and with each new sign he made, the more confused you grew.

“What are you doing?” Calican asked.

“Negotiating.” Mando said.

You watched as the Tuskens signed back, and you were mesmerized by the fluidity and the quickness of the hand signs that they made. Mando signed back, before the Tuskens communicated amongst themselves for a moment.

“Mando?” you asked.

“What’s going on?” Calican cut you off.

“We need passage across their land.”

The Tuskens continued negotiating, and you couldn’t stop your mind from wandering away across the desert. A thread wrapped around you, and beckoned you toward it - somewhere out in the desert something, or someone was calling to you through the Force. And the call was strong.

“Let me see the binocs.” Mando said, extending his hand to Calican for the binoculars.

“Why?” Calican asked.

Mando turned his helmet towards Calican, who gave over the binocs a moment later. Mando chucked the binocs at the Tuskens as payment for passage, and Calican was not happy.

“Hey! What?” He exclaimed. “Those were brand new.”

Mando walked back to his speeder bike, with you in front of him as Calican stuttered and stammered behind you at what Mando had just done.

“Yeah. They were.” Mando said as he waited for you to get on the speeder before he took off.

You lost track of time while you trekked across the desert, the sand dunes began to blur together as the minutes ticked by. And for a while you dozed against Mando’s chest as he piloted the speeder biker. Despite the bite of the sand that scraped against your skin, and the hard beskar that dug into your spine, you found sleeping against Mando to be one of the comfiest places to sleep in the galaxy. Even your new bed couldn’t compare to the way his arms wrapped around you and held you close to him, and made you feel safe.

The speeder bike pulled to a stop as the suns began to sink in the sky, and jolted you awake.

“Get down.” Mando said to you and Calican as he quickly helped you off the bike and dove down into the sand.

“What? Oh.” Calican said, following behind you.

Crawling up the side of a dune, you peeked over the edge and spotted a dewback wading across the sand.

“All right. Tell me what you see.” Mando asked you, however Calican cut you off before you could answer Mando’s question.

“Dewback. Looks like the rider’s still attached.”

“Is that Fennec?” you asked, peeking again. The dewback was too far away to see anything clearly.

“I don’t know.” Mando said.

Calican moved to get up and go investigate, but Mando stopped him.

“I’ll go. Cover me.” he said, before looking pointedly at you. For a second you used the Force to feel out towards the dewback and the fallen rider, searching for anyone or anything that might hurt your bounty hunter.

You nodded your head, giving him the all clear to go investigate. You pulled your blaster from your holster, and drew in a steadying breath.

“Stay down.” he instructed Calican as he got up.

You focused solely on Mando as he descended the dunes, slipping in the sand as he went, and you didn’t register that Calican slid closer to you, pressing his side against yours.

“I’ll protect ya hotness.” he smirked at you.

“I’ll offer you to the Tuskens when I see them again.” you replied.

You watched and listened as Mando calmed the dewback down, and you couldn’t help but think of the first time you met him on Arvala-7 when Kuiil tried to teach him how to ride the blurrg. The memory that surfaced in your mind made you smile a little. It was crazy how things could change in such a short amount of time.

Mando flipped the body over and inspected who it was.

“Well, is it her? Is she dead?” Calican called out. You elbowed him in the ribs, and told him to be quiet.

“It’s another bounty hunter.” Mando called back.

“Hey! I hope you don’t plan on keeping all that stuff for yourself! Can I at least have that blaster?” Calican called down at him.

You watched as Mando rummaged in the dead bounty hunter’s pocket, and drew out a tracking fob. You could barely see the little red dot blinking in his palm before he suddenly stood up, and tried to book it out of there.

“Get down!” he yelled as he began to run. A pulse rifle shot came from one of the ridges, and hit Mando, sending him to the ground. 

“Mando!” you yelled when you saw him drop. Calican ducked down and nearly knocked into you as you crouched down.

You heard him running up the sand dune, and then he was catapulted over the crest of the mound as another shot ricocheted off the beskar. Mando groaned as he rolled on top of you, and the two of you tumbled across the sand.

“What happened?” Calican asked as Mando panted above you.

He rolled off of you, and hunkered down next to Calican. Mando cautiously looked over the sand dune, trying to pinpoint where the shot had come from. You crawled up next to him, your ribs and arm ached from being crushed under his full weight, but nothing was broken so you couldn’t truly complain.

“Sniper bolt.” Mando stated. “Only an MK modified rifle could make that shot.”

“Are you okay?” you panted beside him.

“Yeah are you alright?” Calican asked.

“Yeah. Hit me in the beskar… and at that range the beskar held up.” Mando said, gesturing to his chest plate.

“Wait… I don’t wear any beskar.” Calican stated.

“Nope.” Mando replied, and you couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out of you. Calican cut you a dirty look before he looked back at the Mandalorian.

“Well… so what do we do?”

“You see where that shot came from?” Mando asked, more pointed towards you than at Calican.

“Yeah came from that ridge.” Calican answered for you.

“South east, smallest plateau on the ridge.” you clarified for him.

“Okay. We’ll wait until dark.” Mando stated.

“But what if she escapes?” Calican asked, looking at Mando.

“She’s got the high ground. She’ll wait for us to make the first move.” Mando explained as he rolled over and slipped down the sand dune, moving towards the speeder bikes.

“I’m gonna rest. You take the first watch.” Mando said, directing his words at Calican.

“Stay low.” Mando added as Calican scooted closer to the crest of the sand dune.

You rolled over, and slid down the dune following Mando back towards the speeder bike. As you faced him, that strange something that you had felt earlier was calling to you again from across the desert, begging for you to come to it. Your wistful gaze ran along the hazy horizon, scanning and searching for whatever could be out there.

Your eyes settled on the sky, searching for a planet that no longer existed. You could see it in your memories, and in your mind's eye, but you couldn’t see it physically. Scarif had been destroyed by the first Death Star many years ago… and some very important friends had died getting important blueprints to Princess - now General - Leia Organa. Tears filled your vision as you recalled the faces of your dead friends that you hadn’t thought of in many, many years. They had sacrificed themselves as the planet burned while the Empire tried to make its advancements on the galaxy. You missed them dearly. Your heart had ached for years after you had felt that catastrophic disturbance in the Force. Your heart bled for them.

For Jyn and K-2SO. For Baze and Chirrut.

And your heart ached for him.

For  _ Cassian Andor _ .

Mando’s head tilted in your direction, curious as to why you stared longingly at the horizon with tears in your eyes. A few slipped down your cheeks as the suns began to skin lower in the sky.

Clearing his throat, he startled you out of whatever wistful trance you were in. With a shaky breath, you sank down onto the ground next to Mando, and tried to get some sleep.

*

Mando shook you awake as he spoke to Calican, and it took you a moment to adjust to the dark as the suns had set not too long ago. It was colder now that the suns were gone, and part of you wished for a cloak.

“Get on your bike. Ride as fast as you can towards those rocks.” Mando said, grabbing something from the pack he had brought.

When you moved to get on Mando’s speeder, he shook his head and gestured toward Calican’s bike instead.

With a flirty smile, Calican let you slide onto his bike before he wrapped his arms around you, and kept you close to his chest. A mild look of disgust washed over your features as you stared back at the Mandalorian. Why wouldn’t he let you ride with him?

Mando couldn’t look at you - not with that look of sadness and what looked like betrayal written across your features - it broke his heart not to have you riding with him. And having you ride with Calican made his blood boil.

“That’s your plan? She’ll snipe us right off the bikes.” Calican stated.

Mando looked at you, and gently tossed you something. Catching it in two hands, you looked at the strange silver cylinder.

“It’s a flash charge. We alternate shots. It’ll blind any scope temporarily. Combine that with our speeding and we’ve got a chance.”

Calican did a double take behind you. “A chance?”

“Hey you wanted this.” Mando replied.

“Mando, do you want m-” you began to ask if you wanted him for you to use the Force, but he cut you off.

“Get ready.” and then he took off.

Calican sped after him a moment later, his arms wrapped around your shoulders as he held onto the speeder’s handlebars, weaving over the dunes.

It was harder to navigate in the dark over the unfamiliar terrain, with the icy wind whipping across your face, letting minuscule grains of sand scratch and scatter across your skin.Mando fired off the first flash charge, the flare sailed high into the air, illuminating the world around you for the briefest of moments before it went dark again.

A sniper bolt only barely missed your bikes as the three of you continued towards the mountain ridge. With shaky fingers you fumbled with the flash charge in your hands, and nearly dropped it before adjusting your grip.

“Now!” Mando shouted.

You quickly fired off the flare, watching as it sailed into the sky like the last one. Another bolt missed, meaning Fennec was blinded but only temporarily. The three of you gained ground, getting closer to where Fennec was hiding out.

With a jerk of the handlebars, Calican turned you away from a dune, making you miss with the bolt, causing it to skitter across the sand instead of sailing into the sky like you needed it too.

A bolt hit Mando’s bike in a flurry of sparks. You watched as Mando’s bike flipped him, sending him into the dirt. Your heart leapt into your throat as Calican sped passed him.

“Din!” you screamed, your blood pounded in your ears as the wind took your voice away.

You froze. What had you screamed? Your mind went blank as you glided over the sand, steadily moving away from where Mando lay in the dirt in the dark.

Mando fired off another flare, which somehow told you he was okay… alive at least.

Calican continued towards the rocks, before drawing the bike to a halt. You whipped around to face Mando to see if he was okay. He stood up, facing the ridge only to be shot down again. Another bolt hit him in his chest, sparks raining down around him as he crashed backwards onto the ground. You couldn’t breathe as you watched Mando collapse again. The night air was nothing compared to how cold you felt now. You slid off the bike, and went to move towards him before you stopped.

Fennec was right above you, ready to take you all down. She had to be taken care of before she murdered you all in the middle of the desert and left you to rot. You had to take care of Fennec before you could worry about Mando.

You tried to scramble up the ridge, but your feet kept slipping against the loose rocks and sand, and as your head came above the rock line and you hoisted yourself onto the plateau, Calican hauled Fennec over his body, sending her crashing to the dirt.

You dashed across the rocky sand, pulled your blaster from your holster before aiming it at Fennec. With a flourish and a twist, Fennec invaded your personal space, blocked and sent your blaster skidding across the ground. Her fist filled your vision, before she kicked your legs out from beneath you, making you crash into the ground. With another graceful twist, Fennec spun back towards Calican.

Fennec kicked him in the ribs, making him double over before he began to crawl away, searching for something in the dark - most likely his blaster. In a blur of motion, Fennec had Calican in a choke hold and with a sickening snap, yanked his arm from his socket, or broke one of his bones - you weren’t sure which, you just knew it sounded like it hurt. You struggled to get off your ass and onto your feet.

“Nice distraction.” Mando said above Calican and Fennec.

_ Thank the Maker. He was okay. _

You collapsed on your knees as relief flooded through you. Fennec released Calican, and slowly sat upwards with her hands raised. With caution, you moved beside Mando as he tossed cuffs at Fennec.

“Good work partner.” Calican groaned as he clutched his arm to his chest.

“Cuff yourself.” Mando ordered Fennec.

She slowly reached for the cuffs, and as she moved her eyes from the Mandalorian to you, she froze. It was just a tiny fraction of a second, but you saw it and you knew Fennec recognized you.

“Why don’t you go find your  _ blaster _ .” Mando chastised Calican. “And you, next time dodge her right hook.” Mando criticized you.

You blinked, wide eyed as Mando scolded you like you were some kind of child, or a bounty hunter that couldn’t do his damn job right, like Calican. You hadn’t been scolded for doing something wrong since you were a child, and the feeling that settled in your chest was not a pleasant one. You moved a few feet to retrieve your own discarded blaster before turning back to Fennec and Mando.

“A Mandalorian.” Fennec purred as she stared up at him.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of your kind.” Fennec said as she pushed herself to her feet. “Yours too.” She added as she cast a glance your way. 

“Ever been to Nevarro?” Fennec asked, staring straight at Mando now.

You froze at her words. Had something happened on Nevarro after you, the Child and Mando had escaped?

“I heard things didn’t go so well there, but it looks like you got off easy.”

Calican dusted off his blaster, and stashed it in his holster. “You don’t have to worry about getting to Nevarro, or anywhere else once we turn you in.”

Mando grabbed Fennec’s arm, and began guiding her towards Calican.

“You know I really should be thanking you, you’re my ticket into the Guild.”

“You’re welcome.” Fennec sassed him.

When you arrived back at the two speeder bikes - sorry - one speeder bike, Fennec spoke again. “Uh oh, looks like some of us will have to walk.” 

Fennec dropped to the ground unceremoniously as Mando, Calican and yourself began to concoct a plan. But as they began speculating, that feeling from earlier crept up your spine again, making you turn to look out across the vast and eerie desert. What was calling to you? And what had you called Mando earlier? And again, why had you done it?

“You fight good.” Fennec complimented you.

You kept your gaze off of her, afraid to truly look at her - at your past and what you had lost along the way.

“How is that old wolf?” Fennec asked, drawing you from your mind.

You glanced over at her, and realized she was talking about your late Master.

Cendren Maldeth. He had died trying to save your life.

Fennec sighed sadly when you didn’t answer her. Your silence spoke volumes about Cendren’s status. She flexed her hands and looked at Mando and Calican as they argued.

“May the Force be with him.” she stated.

“May the Force be with him.” you echoed her.

You watched as Mando began walking away, leaving you and Fennec with Calican. You wanted to call out to him - get him to stop and make Calican go do whatever Mando was going off to do - but something made you stop. A bad feeling began to wash over you as Calican looked over at you and Fennec and smirked as he sat down on the speeder bike.

*

You waited all night for Mando to come back with the dewback you had seen earlier in the day. You let your eyes fall closed, but didn’t let yourself sleep - you still didn’t trust Calican or Fennec. As the suns began to just barely crest over the horizon, Fennec sighed as she moved, trying to stretch out her sore muscles. “Oh, it’s been awhile.”

When Calican didn’t answer her, Fennec continued. “Oh look, the suns are coming up.”

“Quiet.” Calican said, trying to act casual.

“Look,” she sighed, “There’s still time to make my rendezvous in Mos Espa. Take me to it and I can pay you double the price on my head.” 

“I don’t care about the money.” Calican stated, watching the suns tip over the horizon, blanketing the sands in soft orange and purple light.

“Oh… so the Mandalorian keeps all the money for himself.”

“Only because I let him.” Calican retorted.

You scoffed with Fennec, but still tried to keep up the illusion of being asleep. Of course Calican  _ let _ Mando keep all the money.

“Doesn’t seem that way. It seems like he’s calling all of the shots.” Fennec said, as she cast a glance in your direction.

“Shows what you know. I hired Mando - this is my job. Bringing you in will make me a full member of the Bounty Hunter’s Guild.”

“You already have something the Guild values far more than me. You just don’t see it.” Fennec said.

You held your breath and waited. Maybe you should pretend to wake up and put a stop to this conversation… but you wanted to know if Calican was going to double cross you and Mando before you got back to Mos Eisley.

“What?” Calican asked.

“The Mandalorian, and the Jedi.” Fennec said. “His armor and her lightsaber alone are worth more than my bounty.”

Your heart thundered in your ears as you listened as Fennec tried to turn Calican against you and the Mandalorian. Ever so slowly, you moved your hand down to the blaster at your side.

“I already told you I don’t care about the money.”

“Then think what it would do for your reputation. A Mandalorian shot up the Guild on Nevarro. Took some high value targets and went rogue.”

You felt Calican’s loyalty shifting, and you weren’t sure you could have stopped him. Fennec had planted seeds of doubt and corruption into his mind and he was going to let those weeds fester and grow.

“ _ That _ Mandalorian?” Calican asked.

“Like I said, you don’t see many.” Fennec stated, turning her attention towards you. “You bring the Guild that traitor, they'll welcome you with open arms. Your name will be legendary.”

Calican sighed as he moved off the speeder bike, before looking out across the desert, searching for the Mandalorian. “How can we be sure he’s the one?”

“Word is he still has the targets with him. Some say one’s a child.”

“Look if you’re afraid to take him on, fear not. I can help you with that.”

You pretended to stretch, pretended to wake up to hopefully distract Calican and Fennec from turning on you and Mando. You watched as they spoke openly in front of you. She didn’t even lower her voice, like she wasn’t afraid that you might have overheard her and Calican plotting to double cross you.

“Take some advice, kid. You want to be a bounty hunter? Make the best deal for yourself and survive.” Fennec stated.

Calican stood up, and made his way towards you and Fennec. You scrambled to your feet as Fennec gracefully stood up and gently held her hands out for Calican to unlock her from the cuffs.

“Toro!” you snapped, acting like you were confused and hadn’t heard their entire conversation.

And then Calican drew his blaster and shot Fennec in the chest. She dropped to the ground, and gasped for air. You jumped, and fumbled for your own blaster, trying to tug it free from the holster. It snagged on a loose strap, leaving you vulnerable to Calican’s right hook as it connected with your cheek. Black dots filled your vision before another sharp pain blossomed on your temple, which led you to believe you’d hit your head on a rock on your way down to the ground.

“That’s good advice. But if I took those binders off you, I’d be a dead man. If the Mandalorian’s worth more than you are, well…. who wouldn’t want to be a legend?” Calican asked.

Your vision faded before complete darkness consumed you, leaving you unconscious at Calican’s feet in the sand.

*

When Din returned to the spot where he had left you with Shand and Calican only Shand’s cold dead body remained. Calican had disappeared, and took you with him. And no footprints remained in the sand to give him any leads as to where the two of you had gone, the winds sweeping across the sands had washed away any tracks you’d left behind. 

Din’s heart pounded in his chest beneath the beskar as he sat on top of the dewback. His ribs ached from where Fennec had shot him at him, but it was only that - an ache. Had she hit him just slightly to the right he’d have been dead. But beneath his ribs, his heart hurt. If Fennec was dead, what had happened to you? With a sigh, Mando steered the dewback towards Mos Eisley.

He returned just as the suns were setting, and he knew he’d been away from you and the Kid for far too long. He was never going to let you on a hunt with him again. It wasn’t that you couldn’t handle yourself, you’d proven from day one that you could hold your own… it was just…that he was afraid of losing you, of losing the Kid… of losing the family he was beginning to build.

As he slid off the dewback and withdrew his blaster he knew this was going to end one of two ways. Someone was going to meet their Maker tonight. He moved quietly through the dark, making his way into the hangar in search of you, or Peli or the Kid or Calican.

A few DUM-series pit droids scampered through the darkness, ducking and diving for shelter as they saw the Mandalorian brandishing his blaster, clearly on the hunt for someone. Mando moved towards the  _ Crest _ ’s open ramp. 

“Took you long enough Mando!” Calican called out to him from inside the cargo bay of the  _ Crest. _

Raising his blaster, Mando watched as Calican emerged from the hull, making Peli walk in front of him. Calican had the Kid cradled in one arm while a blaster rested in his other hand. Peli looked scared as she moved forwards, but as Mando assessed her he quickly found that she wasn’t too terribly injured.

You on the other hand… you weren’t with Calican and Peli. So where were you?

“Looks like I’m calling the shots now. Huh partner?” Calican asked, his voice cold and controlled.

Din’s hand clutched his blaster tighter, adjusting his grip and aim. “Where is she?”

“Drop your blaster and raise ‘em.” Calican said.

Mando hesitated for a moment, which drew Calican to stop moving on the off ramp. With an aggravated sigh, Mando put down his blaster and raised his arms above his head.

“Cuff him.” Calican drove his blaster into Peli’s back making her groan. Peli made her way down the ramp, and slowly walked towards him.

Calican raised his blaster at the two of them as he adjusted the baby in his arms.

“You’re a Guild traitor Mando. And I’m willing to bet that this here is the target you helped escape. And your little girlfriend too.” Calican said, pointing his blaster directly at the Kid’s head.

“She’s gone, by the way. Dropped her sweet little ass off with some people who were dying to get her hands on her. She should be right at home now.” Calican teased him, trying to get underneath Mando’s skin.

And it worked. Din felt his blood boiling as he listened to Calican speak about you as if you weren’t deserving of the universe and all it had to offer you.

As Peli stepped up behind Mando, he made sure to adjust the last flash charge he had in between his fingers, making sure to draw Peli’s attention to it. A little gasp left her lips as she raised the binders towards his wrist, and came to the conclusion that he was going to strike at Calican when he saw the chance.

“You’re smarter than you look.” Peli whispered to him.

“Fennec was right. Bringing you in won’t just make me a member of the Guild, it’ll make me legendary.”

Calican looked down the barrel of his blaster and slightly adjusted the sight on the end of the gun, and just as his finger was about to squeeze down on the trigger, Din moved.

The flash charge went off, blinding Calican giving Mando just enough time to move Peli to safety, and moved off to the side out of Calican’s direct line of sight. Calican noticed some movement off to his right and as he turned to shoot, Mando gunned him down. Calican fell off the ramp, taking the baby with him. 

Mando and Peli moved at the same time, both heading towards Calican.

“Stay back.” Mando said with his blaster trained on Calican’s dead body.

“Gotta get him.” Peli stated, referring to the Child.

Din roughly rolled Calican over, searching for the Kid. But the Kid was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is it?” Peli questioned.

Din turned around, frantically searching for the Kid but his HUD gave him a limited field of view. The Kid cooed and slowly waddled out from behind a stack of crates, checking to see if the coast was clear.

“There you are.” Peli said softly. With one arm raised, the Kid reached upwards towards the sky, begging Peli to pick him up.

“Are you hiding from us? Huh?” Peli asked as she picked up the Kid. “Look at you.”

Mando sighed in relief that the Kid was okay and unharmed. He looked down at Calican’s cooling body, with a look of disgust beneath the helmet.  _ Fuck Calican. _ The Kid whined, probably telling her he did not in fact like that bad man that lay dead in the dirt.

“I know. That was really loud for your big old ears wasn’t it?” Peli asked, trying to console the Kid. Leaning over Calican, Mando roughly removed a pouch of credits - which seemed to look and feel a lot heavier than it did a day ago. How much did Calican get for turning you in?

He moved back towards the end of the off ramp and carefully took the Kid from Peli’s arms.

“Be careful with him.” Peli advised him. “So I take it you didn’t get paid.”

Mando pulled out the sack of credits that Calican no longer needed, and dumped a large handful of credits into Peli’s open palms. “That cover me?”

“Yeah. Yeah that’s gonna cover you.”

Mando turned away, and began to move up the ramp with one thought in mind: finding you. He still had an old tracking fob attuned specifically to you… he just hoped it still worked. 

“Mando! Not so fast!” Peli called after him. Din stopped at the top of the ramp and looked back at Peli.

“She’s off planet. New Republic soldiers were here a few hours ago.”

Din nodded, and disappeared inside the fixed ship.

“Alright pit droids! Let’s drag this outta here.” Peli shouted at her droids. One of them beeped back at her, asking where she wanted the body dumped. “I don’t know, drag it to Beggar’s Canyon.”

Din set the Kid in his pram and ascended the ladder. He moved through the cockpit as a dark feeling washed over him. Something was missing - you were missing - and not having you on the ship bothered Mando more than he thought it would.

He sank down into the pilot's seat and powered up the  _ Razor Crest _ , before taking off. The more time he wasted the further away you got, and Din didn’t want to waste another second away from you.

*

Stars zoomed past the  _ Razor Crest _ as it traveled through the empty blackness that filled the void in the galaxy between stars and planets and black holes. The stars no longer looked like tiny dots of burning gas freckled amongst the sky, but instead looked like streaks of white lines creating pretty abstract art out of the front of the windshield of the  _ Razor Crest _ . 

The Child had been asleep for hours, and would probably sleep for a dozen more which Din knew he should probably try to do as well. He would be in no shape to find you if he was sleep deprived and exhausted. But his mind would not let him sleep. Guilt ate away at him as he watched the stars pass by outside the  _ Razor Crest _ . He’d activated your tracking fob, and the light had barely sputtered to life before slowly blinking, again and again and again. 

You were out there somewhere.

_ A dark wave of pain washed over Din as your voice filled his head, your screams consuming every thought of his. Your pain brought tears to Din’s eyes as he clutched at his helmet. With a groan he clutched at the helmet, and hunched down over his knees, praying your pain would go away, and in turn so would his. _

**_Aaray_ ** _ \- the Mando’a word for pain - flashed across his mind again. The Kid cooed besides him, as if he too could feel that pain in his sleep. As if he too could hear your screams inside his head. _

He remembered how you looked curled up on that table back on Nevarro in that doctor’s office. How weak and fragile you looked.

He felt that hauntingly familiar pain ringing in his head now. 

And then everything was quiet.


	7. Chapter 7: Mar'eyce Orikih Ka'ra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Last Episode of Season 2!!! May the Force Be With You!  
> The past is a dangerous thing to think about when left alone - especially when you are trapped in a prison cell aboard a New Republic prison ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: canon violence, the readers past, angst, mega feelings (get your tissues), misuse/making up how the Force/kyber crystals works,  
> A/N: Pay attention to wording in this chapter - there is a lot of backstory, foreshadowing and important information here.  
> Title translations: *rough translation* Mar'eyce [mah-RAY-shay] discovery, something found at last, a state of heaven. Orikih [aw-REE-kee] tiny. Ka’ra [KAY-rah] stars, ancient Mandalorian myth, ruling council of fallen kings. (found at last, tiny star.)  
> Word Count: 12,013 words  
> Alternative version (coming soon)

Staring at the dull metallic grey door in front of you, you wanted nothing more than to burn it down. If you had the Mandalorian’s flamethrower the door in front of you could have been melted down in a matter of seconds. 

Okay, maybe not a matter of seconds… or minutes… the flamethrower probably wasn’t even hot enough to metal the door down… but your rage might have been enough to fuel it. Overwhelmed and angry tears filled your eyes yet again as you recalled how you got here. 

Two months ago you had been arrested under the false charges of “ **_aiding and abetting a war criminal_ ** ”,  **_“actively avoiding arrest_ ** ” and “ **_disturbing the peace_ ** ” after Toro Calican had handed you over to several New Republic soldiers. Calican had killed Fennec Shand after he knocked you unconscious. He had betrayed you and Mando so he could join the Bounty Hunter’s Guild and become legendary. 

_ That kriffing prick. _

You had come too as Calican hauled your unconscious body through the streets of Mos Eisley, heading towards a small but bulky ship you did not recognize. You kicked and thrashed trying to get out of Calican’s grip, and all too soon more hands were on you and a needle was pressed into your neck, and a cold green liquid was forced into your veins. Your body seized up and your eyes rolled to the back of your head as Calican dropped you unceremoniously into someone else’s arms.

And the last thing you remembered seeing was a very distinct, very important patch sewn onto the shoulder of the person that awkwardly held you. A symbol you knew all too well... the symbol of the New Republic.

Calican had betrayed you and you hadn’t put up a fight. Why didn’t you fight back? Why didn’t you draw your lightsaber and cut Calican down where he stood when he and Fennec were talking about betraying Mando and yourself?

The simply complicated answer was that you couldn’t. That strange feeling from across the desert had been messing with your mind since you set foot on Tatooine. And now that you were off planet, that strange Force signature confused you even more. If you got out of this dank prison cell you would have to return to the hot and sandy planet of Tatooine and figure out what or who the mysterious signature was.

And then there were the feelings and the memories of Scarif. Of old friends who had sacrificed themselves for the greater good of the galaxy. The cold moon Jedha, where you were born, and the influential planet of Alderaan, and the beautiful planet of Scarif had all been destroyed by the Death Star many years ago. 

Your friends - the people you had looked up to - had sacrificed themselves as the planet burned while the Empire tried to make its advancements on the galaxy. Your heart had ached for years after you had felt that catastrophic disturbance in the Force, the overwhelming sense of death and sadness rocking the delicate balance of the galaxy and everything in it.

_ You hadn’t known Jyn Erso very well. In fact, you had only met her once when you were 10 years old, when you and your Master, Cendren Maldeth, had traveled to Jedha to complete the next step in your training to becoming a Knight, and then hopefully a Master if the Force looked down upon you kindly.  _

_ Jedha had a strange place within your heart, and still did. It was the place where you were born, where your biological parents had either abandoned you or had given you over to the sky walker and his padawan, and it was the place you were going to retrieve your very own kyber crystal.  _

_ You had felt a strange connection to the cold desert moon that had orbited NaJedha before it was decimated by the Death Star. In the week that you had spent there in your childhood, it had grown to feel like home, like a place you could spend the rest of your days until death came to greet you like a long lost lover.  _

_ You couldn’t recall how you and your Master arrived on Jedha. You did however recall that your Master had insisted on a completely different wardrobe than you were used to as a 10 year old child. Maldeth provided you with a long tan colored head scarf, along with lighter clothes which were better suited to a hotter climate than you were used to on Uvena Prime.  _

_ Uvena Prime had been the planet your Master was born and raised on until he had been trained on Coruscant to use the Force. The two of you had lived on Uvena Prime for nearly 5 years before you had to leave. The Shistavanen’s native to Uvena Prime hadn’t welcomed you - you were an outsider and they found you to be a great threat. But Cendren Maldeth had convinced the rest of his kin that you were innocent and harmless, and he had argued that you were his daughter in every sense of the word. If he was going to return to Uvena Prime then you were coming with him - the two of you were a package deal. Where he went, you went.  _

_ Walking along the sandy streets in the Holy City behind your Master, you couldn’t keep the smile off of your face - even if it was covered by the head scarf. The Force was incredibly strong here, and it hummed beneath your skin, which made you feel alive and full of energy.  _

_ Maldeth came to a stop at the corner of an intersection. He looked down at you, his large red eyes glowing as he stared at your half covered face.  _

_ “Yes Master?” you questioned him, keeping your voice quite as to not draw attention to yourselves.  _

_ “I must meet with an old friend. Think you can entertain yourself for a couple minutes?” Maldeth asked.  _ _   
_ __ _ “How much trouble can I cause?” you asked, hoping to lighten your Master’s rather serious mood.  _

_ “Knowing you tiny star, an entire galaxy’s worth.” the Shistavanen replied, his snout curled into a rather amused smirk. Maldeth’s large gray paw rested against your shoulder for a brief moment before he nodded at you, urging you to go off on your own and explore the Holy City some more.  _

_ You didn’t go off like Cendren had said you could do. You chose to stay close to where you saw him enter a cantina, afraid you would get lost within the Holy City’s streets. Instead of wandering, you sat down near a fountain, and watched as people walked by, going about their lives. Children ran by you, chasing each other through the streets with sticks while their mothers rolled their eyes and smiled at their children’s antics before they went back to their chores and duties. Droids, aliens and humans alike moved through the streets, giving you something new to look at every minute or so.  _

_ Someone settled next to you, which startled you.  _

_ A man in dark robes sat next to you, and a long stick made of uneti wood rested against his knees. He was tall - everyone was tall when you were 10 years old - and his dark hair was shaved close to his skull. He stared straight ahead, his gaze rested on nothing in particular. Turning his head just slightly toward you, he smiled a bit.  _

_ “I didn’t mean to scare you, tiny star.” he said.  _

_ “It’s okay.” you told him, wanting to be polite. Your Master had instilled the virtue of politeness and patience into you from before you could walk, and you did not want to disappoint your Master. But this stranger knew the nickname your Master had given you - and you hadn’t told this man anything.  _

_ “It seems like you have a big day ahead of you this week.” the man mused, turning his head so he was looking straight ahead again.  _

_ “I - I do.” you hesitated to answer him, unsure of how he could know what lay ahead in your week.  _

_ Leaning backwards slightly, you unfocused your gaze slightly. With a tilt of your head, like Maldeth did when he was thinking - you focused on the aura that surrounded the man seated beside you. A soft halo of a milky blue color surrounded this man, as waves of calmness spilled over you.  _

_ “I am Chirrut.” said the man, turning his head to look in your direction again. Focusing your gaze again, you were greeted with the startling sight of his blind eyes - the clouded blue orbs catching you off guard. Chirrut didn’t give you a chance to give him your name in return. He just kept speaking.  _

_ “You are here to search for your very own kyber crystal. Jedha is a very special place to find a kyber crystal. I know you will find what you are looking for. The Force is with you, and you are one with the Force.” he said, offering you a gentle nod.  _

_ “Chirrut.” spoke a male’s gravelly voice from in front of the two of you still perched on the dried up fountain.  _

_ A large man with long black hair pulled away from his face, stood a couple paces away from the water fountain, heavy armor and weaponry mounted to his back. Dark red lines jutted outwards from the newcomer, giving off a strange aura you had rarely seen on anyone. You blinked several times, frightened as to why he was here, but no one that passed by seemed to give the new comer a second glance. Chirrut rose from his seat next to you and gently tapped his way over towards the large man with even larger guns. Chirrut stopped next to the man and turned to look back at you.  _

_ “Good luck tiny star. May the Force be with you.”  _

_ “And also with you.” you replied, straightening your posture.  _

_ Chirrut nodded at you, and gently grabbed the man’s arm so he could lead Chirrut down the busy street to continue on with their tasks for the day. You watched them walk until they were swallowed up by the crowd, and then you remained looking in the direction they disappeared in for several more minutes.  _

_ You slid off the fountain a few minutes later, and wandered through the streets until you returned to the same cross section where you had left your Master. You knew you shouldn’t go inside the cantina that he’d entered, but the conversation you had with Chirrut made you feel a bit uneasy - and if you were being honest with yourself - you felt uncomfortable and needed something familiar to calm yourself. What if you didn’t find what you were looking for? What if the Force was not with you when you went in search of your kyber crystal?  _

_ You stepped inside the dimly lit cantina, and followed the faint rectangular purple signature that led you through the small crowd of people enjoying themselves and toward your Master.  _

_ Cendren had sensed you and your mild distress the moment you stepped inside the cantina. His meeting was almost over, and he knew you could easily find him so he wasn’t too concerned. He was worried - yes - but he knew you could take care of yourself, to an extent… you were only 10 years old. He was curious as to what had unnerved you. In all his years of raising and training you, he had learnt that you were not easily frightened or discombobulated by much.  _

_ Cendren was seated at a table nearest to the back wall, and he was not alone when you approached. Seeing him sitting with someone did not surprise you - he had told you he had to meet with an old friend - but seeing not one, but two strangers sitting with him had caught you off guard. _

_ A dark skinned man sat on the opposite side of the table with a dark haired little girl at his side when you approached Maldeth’s side. Turning his head towards you, Maldeth gave you a soft look, silently asking you if you were okay from whatever had upset you. You gave you Master a smile, which reassured him that you were a little rattled but unharmed and okay. You looked back at the dark haired little girl. She looked about your age, maybe two or three years older than you, and her gaze was frightening.  _

_ Her eyes - pale blue - refused to leave your face. She barely moved, apart from her chest and shoulders rising and sinking as she breathed. Her face remained neutral as she glared in your direction. The aura that surrounds her is one you hadn’t expected to see on such a young girl. Warm blackish brown stars float around the space she occupies. You had expected a lighter, a less haunted color to surround the youngling across the table from you.  _ _   
_ __ _ “So you are Cendren’s little apprentice.” spoke the man seated next to the girl. His deep gravelly voice startled you slightly, but you caught yourself before you jumped out of your skin completely. You schooled your expression and looked the man straight in his eyes. Vibrant orange curlicues surround the man, and you could hear the Force as it whispered to you, telling you their names: Jyn Erso and Saw Gerrera.  _

_ “And if I am?” you questioned him. Saw Gerrera’s face remained neutral for a beat too long before breaking out into a hearty laugh as he smiled at your Master.  _ _   
_ __ _ “She is certainly yours, Cendren.” Saw Gerrera laughed with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.  _

_ You glanced back at Jyn before looking at your Master again. You weren’t sure why Saw Gerrera was laughing, so you looked at your Master for guidance in this situation. Cendren Maldeth smiled back at Saw Gerrera with all of his pointed canines gleaming under the dim lighting inside the cantina. Your Master chuckled a bit as well, looking over at you with soft, proud eyes. He winked at you, which eased your nerves. The laughter in this situation was a good thing.  _

_ “Yes, she most definitely is.” Cendren said, his voice full of joy. You looked at him and noticed how his aura shifted from his cool toned lilac aura to a warmer lilac tone, pride filling him.  _

_ The men at the table continued talking, laughing and enjoying themselves. With no other seats at the table or available nearby, Cendren pulled you gently onto his lap and let you sit there. You tried to start a conversation with Jyn, but she only answered with one word replies which made having an actual conversation rather difficult.  _

_ Your gaze dropped from her face and down her body, before you spotted the shiny clear crystal that hung around her neck. You had recognized it as a kyber crystal. Glancing back up at Jyn’s face, you saw she was bored but focused on the conversation between your Master and Saw Gerrera.  _

_ Looking back at her crystal, you focused on the coloring. It was a white opaque crystal about the size of your finger, and if you squinted you could make out a small inscription on the surface of the gem. The inscription was in Aurebesh, but Jyn sat too far away for you to clearly see what was written.  _

_ “It was great seeing you, my friend.” Saw Gerrera said before he turned his dark eyes to look at you. “And it was a pleasure to meet Cendren’s apprentice.”  _

_ Maldeth gripped your waist and placed you on the ground as everyone stood up from the table. Cendren reached across the table and shook Gerrera’s hand, giving him a nod. When Gerrera released Maldeth’s paw, Cendren turned to Jyn and gave her a parting nod. Cendren gently nudged your back, reminding you of your manners to say goodbye.  _

_ “It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Gerrera. And you Ms. Erso. May the Force be with you both.”  _

_ Jyn scowled at your farewell, and walked passed you towards the exit of the cantina. Saw Gerrera sighed and watched as the 12 year old walked away from the table.  _

_ “Please excuse her, she’s not yet used to the hot weather here.” Saw Gerrera apologized before moving after her.  _

_ You and Cendren watched as Saw Gerrera meanered out of the cantina and out onto the busy street to catch up with Jyn. When he was out of sight, you looked up at your Master. He tilted his snout downwards to look at you. With a twist of his head, he gave a one shouldered shrug - even he didn’t know what was up with Jyn’s attitude.  _

_ “Come, tiny star, we have a long trek ahead of us.” he said, referring to you searching for your kyber crystal. Cendren held out his large gray paw, waiting for you to take it. Placing your hand in his, you felt his paw curl over yours, enveloping your fingers in their warmth. Together the two of you walked out of the cantina into the street.  _

_ * _

_ The trek to the cave where you were going to search and retrieve your kyber crystal took nearly three days to get to. There had been a lot of walking underneath the hot sun, and Cendren had given you many piggyback rides over many miles of desert before the two of you arrived at your destination.  _

_ Despite wandering through the desert, the journey there was not terrible. Cendren had made sure to pack plenty of supplies and provisions should something happen along your journey. The headscarf and lighter clothes that Maldeth gave you kept you cool and protected from the harsh rays of the sun beating down on the two of you. And at night when you made camp, Maldeth made sure to keep you close to the campfire and tucked safely against him to keep out the cold. You had asked one night before you fell asleep if he got cold at night, and your Master merely chuckled at your question.  _

_ “No tiny star, I do not get cold. My fur keeps me warm.” Cendren replied after he stopped laughing.  _

_ “Do you get hot under the sun?” you asked, your tired sleepy brain making your curious questions come to light.  _

_ “I do. That is why I pant. It’s like when you sweat to expel heat. I pant to rid myself of the heat my body generates.” Maldeth explained.  _

_ He always took the time to answer any and every question that you had, even if you thought it was dumb, or offensive or the answer was rather obvious. How else were you to learn if you weren’t told or shown or offered the chance to learn the answers? Maldeth was always patient with you, and took every moment to teach you, to better you as a person in a rather harsh and unforgiving galaxy.  _

_ When the sun began to rise on the third day of your journey to the crystal caves, Cendren had woken you while the sky was still changing colors, from a dark blue to a soft turquoise to a hazy yellow and then a bright orange as the sun began to crest over the horizon line. _

_ Together, you and Maldeth stood before the mouth of a cave, the heat of the rising sun warming your backs as you faced the large mountains where the caves were located. Your nerves were all over the place as you had no idea what to expect once you stepped inside the mouth of the cave.  _

_ “Once you step inside the cave, you will be on your own. Don’t be afraid, tiny star, the Force will guide you. I have full faith in you.” Cendren said, looking down at you with a soft expression.  _

_ “I - I’m nervous.” you admitted, looking down at the ground in shame. You didn’t want to fail today. This was an important event that would change your life forever… and you didn’t want to return to the mouth of the cave empty handed and have to look at Cendren and the disappointed expression he would have when he saw you again.  _

_ Cendren moved beside you and squat down on his haunches, his feet shifting and sinking in the soft sand. His large red eyes stared at your face as he brought one of his large paws up towards your face. He brushed the long headscarf off your forehead, and let it fall around your shoulders like a hood.  _

_ “Why are you nervous, tiny star?” he asked.  _

_ You blinked several times as a dozen conflicting emotions flooded through your body. You tried to hold Cendren’s gaze, but couldn’t as guilt and shame consumed you. Cendren sighed softly when he saw tears fill your eyes. He shifted his weight around before gently speaking your name, hoping to get you to look at him again.  _

_ “Can I tell you a secret?” he asked.  _

_ Your eyes flickered to his face for a second before fluttering back to the ground. Cendren smiled a bit - he’d caught your attention.  _

_ “I was so nervous to take my crystal that I almost peed myself.” Cendren admitted.  _

_ You snorted as you tried to keep in the laughter that bubbled up in your chest. Cutting your eyes back to your Master, you tried to gauge if he was telling the truth or not. The moment your eyes met Cendren’s you were transported back to the memory of Cendren taking his kyber crystal.  _

The images that filled your mind were hazy, and hard to see at best. You could see Cendren’s red eyes glowing in the dark as he moved through a metallic looking corridor towards the blue glowing light that would be his  _ kyber crystal _ at the end of the cave tunnel. The blue  _ kyber crystal _ ’s light moved as Cendren pursued it, but the  _ kyber crystal _ couldn’t outrun a Shistavanen. The images skipped around before clearing again. Cendren yanked the crystal from the smooth ground, and stared at the bright light in his hands. A dark, power hungry smirk etched its way onto Cendren’s face, now illuminated by a red glow - he’d done it. He’d taken his own  _ kyber crystal _ . __

_ When the images cleared, Maldeth’s red eyes and smiling sharp canines were staring back at you. You smiled at him, thankful that he’d shared that personal and almost embarrassing memory with you. The emotions that Cendren had felt when he was an apprentice were exactly like those that you were feeling now - fear, apprehension, nervousness accompanied by nausea. He even had the undeniable feeling that he might have to pee. It made you feel better about the mysteries that you were about to face inside the crystal cave.  _

_ “Trust in the Force, tiny star. It is with you, always.” Cendren reminded you.  _

_ He stood up, and moved to stand behind you. Glancing backwards over your shoulder, you gave your Master one last apprehensive look. With a slight nod of encouragement, you stepped towards the crystal cave.  _

_ It was time to get your kyber crystal.  _

_ Stepping inside the mouth of the cave took nearly all of the courage your 10 year old body could muster up. You turned back around to look at your Master, but found him no longer there. Panic flooded through you as you moved back towards the mouth of the cave, hoping to figure out where he’d disappeared to. He’d been there a moment ago.  _

_ Your body collided with an invisible barrier, keeping you from exiting the cave. Banging your fists against the invisible barrier, you cried out for Maldeth. Sliding down to the ground, you buried your face in your hands and began crying. There was no way out of this cave. You were going to die here. Trapped and alone in the dark. Your crying turned into full blown sobbing, and you hiccuped every time you drew in a breath.  _

**_Tiny Star_ ** _. whispered a voice. _

_ You stopped crying, and listened for whoever had spoken. No one else was in this cave - Maldeth had assured you of that last night. These caves were abandoned but safe to explore. Shifting on your knees, you turned towards the dark tunnel that led further into the heart of the cave. Raising one hand, you held it out and focused on steadying your breathing as you let the Force wash over you.  _

**_Come and find me, tiny star._ ** _ whispered the voice again.  _

_ The voice echoed in your mind as your eyes flew open and you dropped your hand. Looking deep within the cavern, it was almost too dark to see anything. You rose to your feet and drew in shallow breaths of stale air. Taking a single step forward you pushed your fright down, held you head high and headed deep into the darkness.  _

_ * _

_ Cendren watched as you stepped inside the mouth of the cave, putting on a brave face for him to go and venture down into the unknown to hopefully find your kyber crystal. As soon as you were inside, Cendren erected an invisible cloaking barrier to keep you from leaving the cave. Out of everyone in this Maker forsaken galaxy, Cendren Maldeth knew you the best - and he knew you would try to bargain your way out of going on this quest alone.  _

_ In erecting the barrier - which would give off the illusion of being trapped and completely alone - Maldeth was hoping to teach and instill an important lesson into you. He knows you have doubts and insecurities about your past, about how you came to be his apprentice. He knows you fear being alone in this galaxy, and he knows he will not live forever.  _

_ Cendren watched as you glanced back over your shoulder and panicked when you saw that he was gone. His heart broke when your small body collided with the invisible barrier he constructed before sinking to the ground to sob and weep. _

_ It took an immeasurable amount of self control to keep himself from reaching out to you through the Force to comfort you. Ever since you were a baby, Cendren had viewed you as his daughter. He loved you more than life itself and he knew he would lay down his own life to save yours. So to see you in distress or despair made him physically ill - no father should ever cause their child harm. Intentionally or unintentionally.  _

_ But this had to be done for your own good.  _

_ He felt slightly better when you suddenly stopped crying and looked up, your gaze focused on the dark tunnel ahead of you. Seeing you close your eyes and feel out through the Force made him proud - he has taught you well. He watched as you stood on shaky legs, and took several deep breaths to calm your tears. Watching you walk and disappear into the dark calmed him and set him on edge. He wanted you to succeed, but he didn’t want any harm to come to you. _

_ He hoped that this lesson he was trying to teach will become more apparent in the future, when you are older and can understand why he had done the things he’d done within his lifetime. He hoped you understood that while you may feel alone now, you are never truly alone in the galaxy.  _

_ His tiny star would never be alone.  _

_ * _

_ It had been hours, and you were nowhere nearer to finding your crystal than when you had started. The single tunnel you had started down from the mouth of the cave, had eventually branched off into several sub-tunnels, giving you several options with unknown answers at the end of each one. Each new off branch of tunnels you stumbled across frustrated you more and more. How were you ever going to find your kyber crystal in here?  _

_ Your small feet began to ache in your boots, and your stomach kept growling from hunger, and your limbs protested several times when you willed them to keep moving you forwards through the dark.  _

_ You had tried to listen to the echoing voice inside your head that had spoken to you when you first felt trapped in the cave, but ever since setting out, there had only been silence and the echoes of water droplets inside the cave. It felt like you were wandering aimlessly with no true end in sight.  _

_ Blinking rapidly, your eyes zeroed in on a radiant pinprick of light far down at the opposite end of the cavern you were lost in. Hurrying down the tunnel, being mindful of where you were stepping, you moved closer and closer to the stream of light that grew brighter, the closer you got to it. Skidding to a halt, it took your eyes a moment to adjust to the bright ray of light breaking through the ceiling, illuminating the large and spacious cavern that you’d entered. _

_ The cavern you had stepped into was spacious and rather empty looking; a dozen large craters, and a massive pile of rocks laid below the giant hole in the ceiling where it had collapsed, allowing sunlight from the surface to filter into the otherwise dark cave. Standing just inside the entrance to the cavern, you could see various broken tools from long ago when this cave was used to mine kyber crystals to supply the Galactic Empire before they found an easier and more abundant supply elsewhere in the galaxy. _

_ You could feel the faint remains of lingering auras from those who had worked hard within the mine's depths to pluck the kyber crystals from Jedha’s soil. An older man’s green aura brightened up the room, allowing the other lingering auras to feel better about the shitty work conditions they’d endured long ago. A cool violet aura tended to those who had been wounded while mining, and a warm toned blue aura made sure to pocket smaller chunks of kyber to sell on the side to provide more credits to feed his starving sisters. In an opposite corner, a heavy red aura took up as much space as possible, suffocating the few aura ghosts that lingered near and around the malicious red one. Each aura was hard to focus on, their shapes no longer present and prominent like they would have been if their bodies were present.  _

_ Pointedly ignoring the heavy red aura in the corner, you turned on the balls of your feet, turning your body to look around the sun lit cavern. In the stream of light you could see dust floating in the air, swirling more since you stepped inside and disturbed the peace that had long since settled over the abandoned mine. It was fascinating to watch the dust move through the air after being dormant and still for so long. The little particles reminded you of the stars you could see in the sky from the ground on Uvena Prime. You had only seen the stars up close and personal a few times when you and your Master had to leave to conduct business - and you’d only seen glimpses of the vast beauty of deep space from windows on the ships you’d acquired passage on.  _

_ Someday when you were older and had completed your apprenticeship with your Master, you were going to traverse the stars and see more of the galaxy and what it had to offer you.  _

_ Sniffling, you knew you had to keep moving. Standing there, admiring the way the dust floated around you like how snow fell was not going to get you closer to finding your kyber crystal. Taking a deep, calming breath you closed your eyes and opened your mind, asking the Force to help guide you in this time of need. You felt your connection to the Force get stronger, like changing the water pressure in a refresher. One minute it was a trickle or dribble over your skin, constantly flowing across your skin before the dam broke and the pressure grew, becoming stronger. _

_ Nestled deep beneath your ribcage, sitting snug against the bottom of your sternum was an invisible string that wrapped itself tightly around your heart and wove itself into your very soul. The string was pulled taut, making your body stutter forwards slightly as the feeling begged you to follow it blindly into the darkness.  _

_ Looking up from your chest - you had checked if that string was visible just in case - your eyes wandered over several adjacent tunnel openings until your eyes settled on one on the far end of the cavern, near the suffocating and sinister red aura that used to occupy that supply tunnel. Down that blackened hallway was your kyber crystal.  _

_ Your chest rose and fell faster when you realized where you had to go. You slowly and cautiously moved towards the tunnel opening. An aura connected to the Force had never hurt you, but nearly every aura you had ever encountered within your 10 years of life had been contained to a body, and weren’t residual lingering memories trapped in the dark to play out over and over again until the end of eternity.  _

_ Slipping passed the angered aura, you were swallowed by darkness again. It felt unnaturally dark, far darker than the other tunnels you’d traversed had been. You cautiously moved forwards, unsure of your footing in the darkness. There was no way of knowing if there were sheer drop offs or complete dead ends within the labyrinth that was this kriffing crystal cave.  _

_ The darkness spanned for eons, and there was no way of tracking or marking just how far you had traversed down this adjacent tunnel. Looking back over your shoulder at the way you had come from, you could barely make out the faint glow of where the cavern you’d left was. Facing forwards again, you continued to inch your way into the unknown.  _

_ The glint of something shining within the darkness caught your attention. You feared for a second that it was a wild animal’s eyes reflecting back at you in the dark, but you had no source of light - only the small shaft of light from the roof collapse inside the cavern illuminated the pathway, but that was far behind you and you could barely see now. The glint flared again, as if urging you towards it, beckoning you forward. _

_ The light up ahead of you pulsed randomly, never staying lit for very long. When it was lit, it cast shadows all over the walls of the cave, making the darkness darker.  _

_ Every step you took towards the glint of light felt useless. No matter how many sure-footed steps you took, the glint of light always looked to be the same distance away. Frustration grew within you as you failed to make progress. It had been hours since you entered the cave - surely the sun had set already and your Master was probably heading back to the Holy City, ready to leave you here alone to die.  _

_ You stopped moving towards the light. Despair settled heavily on your shoulders as you dropped hopelessly to your knees, not even caring when a sharp rock cut into your shin. Your nose began running as tears stung your eyes. You were so close, and yet here you were failing, just as you had feared. _

_ Pressing the heels of your palms against your eyes, you began openly sobbing. This was useless. You sat, crumpled in the dirt for many long moments, letting the silence swallow all of you, taking over your thoughts and feelings. You let it consume you wholly, letting it be the one and only thing you felt and focused on in the darkness.  _

_ “I am one with the Force. The Force is with me.” you repeated Chirrut’s words, allowing the statement to calm you, and connect you further to the Force.  _

**I am one with the Force. The Force is with me. I am one with the Force. The Force is with me. I am one with the Force. The Force is with me.**

_ With a jagged inhale of dusty air, you looked up at the glowing, pulsating light. Why had you stopped moving? It was right there! You hurriedly got to your feet, letting the silence guide you, and held out your hand outwards towards the light. You closed your eyes, and let your feet move forwards. You walked and walked, letting your boots thud against the dirt ground as you moved towards the light.  _

_ Coming to a slow stop, you lowered your hand to your side, and opened your eyes. Before you, embedded and protruding from the rocky walls, was a kyber crystal - your kyber crystal.  _

_ The crystal itself was rather dull, but the glow around it was bright pearly white, and almost hurt to look at it. A great sense of relief and pride washed over and through you as you looked at the kyber crystal embedded in the wall. Your small fingers gently gripped the crystal, and plucked it from the wall with surprising ease.  _

**_Found at last, tiny star._ ** _ Spoke a voice.  _

_ “Hello there.” you whispered, awe and joy heating the tips of your fingertips where you gripped the kyber crystal.  _

_ You had done it. You had found your kyber crystal.  _

_ You studied the freed gem for a moment before stuffing into one of the pockets you had roughly sewn into your pants. After double checking that the crystal wasn’t going to fall out of your pants, you turned and fled back to the cavern that led you to your kyber crystal.  _

_ The pathway through the labyrinthian cave tunnels to the surface became clearer the more you moved your feet. You kept going, willing your tired body to move faster through the tunnels, until you could see the light of the mouth of the cave. You began running towards the mouth of the cave, nearly losing your loose fitting boots in the process. _

_ You burst out of the cave - the invisible barrier that had kept you trapped inside was long gone - and rapidly scanned your surroundings for Cendren. His large wolf-like body moved out of the corner of your eye. You whirled around and raced towards him. _

_ “You didn’t leave!” you nearly shouted, flinging yourself at your Master. Your arms wrapped around his waist as you drew him into a hug as overwhelmed happy tears filled your eyes. You had done a lot of crying today, but you couldn’t care.  _ _   
_ __ _ “Why would I leave?” Cendren asked, looking down at you as he awkwardly hugged you back. His massive height neared eight feet tall. Cendren Maldeth was practically a giant, and you barely reached his waist.  _

_ You pulled away from him as he dropped down into a crouch before you. His large paw came up and gently wiped away the happy tears that trailed down your cheeks.  _ _   
_ __ _ “I thought you would leave… since I took so long.” you admitted, sniffling.  _

_ Cendren’s red eyes stared into your own, a deathly serious weight hiding in their depths. Your heart stuttered in your chest, fearing you’d failed or angered him in some way, shape or form.  _

_ “Nothing would keep me from you. I will never leave you.” he vowed, holding your gaze. His red eyes turned glassy as he looked at you with an almost sad expression, his brows pinching together slightly.  _

_ “I love you Y/N.”  _

_ “I love you too Cendren.”  _

_ Cendren drew you to his chest and held you close. He held you in his arms for several long moments, as the distinct and unmistakable feeling of love and pride flowed over and between the two of you through the Force. You felt safe, protected and loved in his arms; and every insecurity and negative thought you had had while searching through the caves had melted away now that they had been dispelled.  _

_ When Cendren released you, you smiled up at him. He returned your smile, all of his pointy canines filling your vision. You stepped backwards from Cendren and dug around in the small pocket you had sewn into your pants. A moment later you pulled out your kyber crystal.  _

_ In the sunlight the gem glistened, the sun spots reflecting back into your eyes nearly blind you for a moment before you twist the crystal between your fingers. When you had first plucked the crystal from the wall, the gem had looked dull and unimpressive - which didn’t matter to you. Your crystal could have been as black as coal, you were just happy to have found it - but now looking at this palm sized crystal, you could see its true beauty in the light.  _

_ The kyber crystal was a pearly opalescent milky white color with hints of blues, and grays littered throughout the gem. This stone reminded you of healing moonstones and selenite crystals that were sold in marketplaces on Naboo or Coruscant or Takodana. But none of those stones compared to the beauty that your kyber crystal held.  _

_ You held your crystal out to Cendren for him to critique and judge. You knew he had no say in what kyber crystal chose you, but you still hoped you had chosen wisely. You did not want to disappoint him.  _

_ Cendren took the crystal from your small hands, and held it up to the light, inspecting it with a carefully masked expression. Cendren was immeasurably proud of you, and could immediately sense that your crystal was a strong one - that your bond with it was perhaps stronger than Mandalorian beskar. Nothing would break the bond that the two of you shared.  _

_ “Do you know what this is?” Cendren questioned you, handing back your crystal.  _

_ You gingerly took it from him, and cupped it in both your palms.  _

_ “It’s my kyber crystal.” you replied.  _

_ Cendren barked out a laugh before shaking his head at you. You cocked your head to the side, confused as to why your Master was laughing at what you had said. Had you been wrong? Was - Were you missing something? _

_ “This is what they call mar’eyce.” he said, a foreign words lilting off of his tongue.  _

_ “Mah - ray - shay?” you tried to repeat, the word feeling strange and complicated on your own tongue.  _

_ “Mar’eyce. It’s the Mando’a word for something found at last.”  _

_ “Mando’a?” you hummed, never having heard of the language before.  _

_ You looked down at the crystal, an odd feeling deep within your bones finally having a name placed to it. Curling your fingers over the crystal, you protectively wrapped it up and held it close to your chest as if to protect it.  _

_ “Do you know the Jawaese word for this feeling you feel?” Cendren questioned you, knowing exactly how you felt.  _

_ You shook your head. You’d only just begun to learn Jawaese, and had so many things to still learn about the language the Jawa spoke.  _

_ Cendren laughed, and placed a paw on your shoulder. “Looks like we have to hit the books when we return to Uvena Prime. I might have to add Mando’a to your schooling.”  _

_ A smile etched its way onto your face as you and Cendren began the trek back towards the Holy City with your kyber crystal in tow.  _

*

Din felt useless without you.

He’d lost you and he had no idea how to get you back.

It had been weeks, nearly a month since he had lost you on Tatooine, and he was no closer to finding out where you’d been taken after Calican had handed you over to the Republic. Mando had had an old tracking fob linked to your specific chain code, but found that when he went to reactivate it to try and track you down, the damn thing didn’t work anymore. The bounty on your head wasn’t active - whoever had set that bounty had either died or they’d retracted the bounty and neither of those things were going to help him find you in this vast and endless galaxy.

The Kid wasn’t faring any better than he was. Din would often find the Child standing in the middle of your bedroom, whimpering as he looked around for you only to find you nowhere on the  _ Razor Crest. _

You weren’t there to provide cuddles to the Kid when he’d wake up from a nap or a nightmare. You weren’t there to make nuna legs or warm up bantha milk for the Kid when he got hungry. You weren’t there to fill the silence of space with your soft humming and one-way-conversations with the Child. You weren’t there to keep Din company when he had to pilot the  _ Crest _ in the dead of the night. 

You weren’t here.

And they missed you terribly.

*

This was not what Din had signed up for. 

Walking around the hangar with Ran, Din’s thoughts were divided six ways from Sunday. He had to focus on what Ran was saying if he wanted this job to go well. And he had to keep an eye on the ship just in case someone entered the hull and accidentally found the Kid - or vice versa and the Kid decided he was done with naptime and wanted to explore his new surroundings. And at the forefront of his mind was you. He missed you terribly and was no closer to finding you. 

Two months into his search and he was completely lost. He had no kriffing idea where to continue to look for you. Din had lost his lead on the Republic soldiers that Peli told him about back on Tatooine, and he couldn’t get the tracking fob Greef Karga had given him, when you had been one of his bounties, wasn’t working anymore.

Finding you again seemed hopeless. 

“All I need is the ride, and you brought it.” Ran stated, looking at the  _ Razor Crest. _ Mando spun around, worried that someone had made a move towards the  _ Crest _ where the Kid was asleep. “Ship wasn’t a part of the deal.”

“Well, the _ Crest _ is the only reason I let you back in here.”

Mando clenched his jaw underneath the helmet and cocked his head to the side. He knew he was on edge for a reason. There was no way Ran forgave him for what happened back then when they had parted ways. 

“What’s the look?” Ran questioned him. “Is that gratitude? Uh-huh I think it is.”

Ran had Mando follow him to the lower level of the hangar to meet the rest of the crew that Ran had accumulated for this job.

“Hey Mayfeld.” Ran called out to a skinny bald headed man.

“Yeah?” answered Mayfeld as he turned around. Mando took note of all the guns Mayfeld had strapped to his body.

“This is the guy I was telling you about. We used to do jobs way back when.” Ran explained. Mayfeld approached Mando and Ran with a dissatisfied look on his face while he looked Mando up and down. “This is the guy?”

“Yeah we were all young, trying to make a name for ourselves.” Ran laughed. “But runnin’ with a Mandalorian, that was... that brought us some reputation.”

“Oh yeah? What’d he get out of it?” Mayfeld asked.

Ran laughed. “I asked him that one time. You ‘member what you said Mando?” Din looked from Mayfeld to Ran with an unamused look on his face beneath the beskar. “Target practice.” Ran laughed. “Man we did some crazy stuff.”

Mando thought of you and the Kid and felt guilt rise in his chest. “That was a long time ago.”

“Well,” Ran sighed. “I don’t go out anymore. You understand? So - uh - Mayfeld he’s gonna run point on this job. If he says it, it’s like it’s comin’ from me. You good with that?”

“You tell me.” Mando replied, looking directly at Mayfeld. Ran laughed again, “You haven’t changed one bit.”

“Yeah well, things have changed around here.” Mayfeld said, before he moved off. “Yeah well, Mayfeld, he’s one of the best trigger men I’ve ever seen. Formal Imperial Sharpshooter.”

Mando’s blood ran cold. What if Mayfeld knew the Kid looked like? What if he knew about the bounty on the Child’s head since Mando rescued him from Nevarro?

“That’s not saying much.” Mando said, trying to remain calm.

“I wasn’t a stormtrooper, wiseass.” Mayfeld snapped, turning to look back at Mando and Ranzar.

Mando and Ran followed behind Ran as they moved closer to the  _ Crest _ inside the hangar bay.

“ _ Razor Crest _ ? I can’t believe that thing can fly.” Mayfeld said, trying to dis Mando any way that he could. “Looks like a Canto Bight slot machine.”

Mando looked away from Ran as they walked through the hangar. “All right, the good looking fellow there with horns, that’s Burg.”

A large Devaronian dropped a heavy crate to the ground as he sized up the Mandalorian before him. 

“This may surprise you, but he’s our muscle.” Mayfeld stated as Burg circled around him and got into Mando’s face.

“So this is a Mandalorian.” Burg speculated, sounding a bit unimpressed. “I thought they’d be bigger.” 

“Droid’s name is Zero.” Mayfeld continued, as Mando cut his eyes to the droid in question. The thing looked more buglike than anything else, and already Mando felt the itch to squash it beneath his boot. He  _ hated _ droids. If it went anywhere near the Kid, Mando wouldn’t hesitate to drop it. 

Zero approached Mando, and scanned his entire being up and down like the droid was assessing him. Why did everyone have to size him up? He was here for the job - for the credits and nothing else. He just had to endure this one job and then he could return to searching the galaxy for you.

“I thought you said you had four.” Mando said.

“He does.” spoke a familiar voice. Mando slowly turned around and faced the owner of the voice.

“Hello Mando.” the purple Twi’lek said as she moved closer to him.

“Xi’an.” Mando stated, a bit surprised to see her. Xi’an was an old fling Mando had had a very, very long time ago and things hadn’t ended in the best of ways. Especially with her brother.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t cut you down where you stand?” she asked as she twirled a knife in her hand before lunging at him with a growl.

Mando didn't even flinch as he looked down at her. “Nice to see you too.”

Everyone - except Mando - laughed at their interaction as Xi’an got closer to him, invading his personal space.

“I missed you.” Xi’an lied before glancing down at the new armor he had on. She tapped her knife against his breastplate before looking up at his visor. “This is shiny. You wear it well.” 

“Do we need to leave the room or something?” Mayfeld questioned them. Mando turned away from Xi’an and refocused on the job at hand. He was still going to have to come up with a plan on how to keep the Kid from being seen when he got back onto the ship.

“Poor Xi’an’s been a little heartbroken since Mando left our group.” Ran began to explain.

“Ahh, you gonna be okay sweetheart?” Mayfeld teased her.

“Oh I’m all business now,” Xi’an said pointing her knife at Mando’s face. “Learned from the best.”

“All right lovebirds, break it up until you get on the ship. Right now we don’t have much time.” Ran stated, and then began leading everyone towards the  _ Crest. _

Mando hung back for a second, grimacing when Xi’an winked at him before focusing on Burg as he sized Mando up again.

“Tiny.” Burg grunted and then laughed as he followed after the rest of his crew.

Mando sighed deeply. This was going to be an interesting job. 

  
  


*

You had heard the blaster fire long before you saw anything. But then you heard the thunder of boots on the steel flooring, and you were curious as to who was dumb enough to try and escapse a Republic prison ship. So you pressed your face up to the bars of your cell, and peered out into the darkened hallways, illuminated by faint red emergency lights. 

You weren’t expecting to see a familiar golden aura and the glint of beskar that headed your way.

“Mando?” you called out, making his helmet whip to the side to see who had called out to him. Mando came to a complete standstill as he took in the sight of you behind bars.

“ _ Cyare _ .” he breathed, relieved to see you alive and in one piece. 

Happy tears filled your eyes. You were certain that you were never going to see this Mandalorian - your Mandalorian - again.

_ At least not in this lifetime or the next.  _

He moved towards your cell door with the intent of wrapping you in his arms and never letting you go. He only stopped when he realized the door was in his way. 

“How are you here?” you questioned him, pushing away your shock to deal with later. 

Mando’s attention was elsewhere as he tried to determine how to open the cell door you were in. He didn’t have time to return to the cell Mayfeld, Xi’an, Qin and Burg had thrown him into, to retrieve the security droid's access key. The New Republic would be sending an attack team to destroy this entire ship in less than 10 minutes and Mando did not have any time to spare. Plus he still had to deal with Mayfeld and Qin. He’d already taken care of Xi’an and Burg, stowing them away in a cell of their own. 

You felt the panic and the sense of urgency that radiated off of Mando in a suffocating blanket, nearly choking you. Seeing him this distraught made you worry.  _ What was wrong? Or better yet - what wasn’t wrong? _ You reached out to him through the Force, trying to get him to calm down, but the feeling of rapidly impending doom cut off any and all of your attempts to ease his racing mind. 

“Talk to me.” you urged him, hoping to perhaps distract him. 

Mando stepped backwards, taking in the door that keeps you from him. His jaw clenched beneath his helmet when he realized he needed a droid’s security key to unlock the cell you were trapped inside of. 

“I got a job - they double crossed me.” Mando said, stepping back towards you. He sounded distant and distracted. He reached upwards and took your fingers in his that stuck through the bars on the little windows in the door. 

“Is that why you’re so scared?” you asked him. His heart clenched in his chest as he looked up at your wet eyes, some transparent part of you coming to terms with wha was about to transpire. 

He couldn’t get you out. 

He would have to leave you again.

“I don’t have a lot of time. A Republic attack team is coming…  _ I don’t have time.” _ Mando said, his voice hard as he tried to think outside the helmet. 

“Just leave me Mando.” you told him, putting on a brave face for him despite the tears that clouded and blurred your vision. 

You stared at him, focusing on the  _ man _ beneath the armor. If you looked hard enough, you could see - just beyond and beneath his own aura, the small sliver of blueish white that belonged to you. If this was to be the last time you ever saw him, then you were going to remember every good moment you had had with him. You were going to remember how his lips felt when they pressed against yours. You were going to remember how he made you feel alive, made you feel like you were home again. You were going to remember how much you love him. 

“ _ Cyare _ , I just found you.” Mando’s voice was full of heartbreak and disbelief at your words. 

_ Leave you here? _ After he’d nearly lost himself when you weren’t there to guide him like a star in the night sky? He couldn’t abandon you, not after you’d been taken from him.    
“You don’t have time. If you want to get away then you have to go. Now.” you argued with him. 

“You’ll die.” he pointed out - like you didn’t know that was what your fate held if he didn’t get you out of this kriffing cell. 

“I know.” 

Mando said nothing as he stared at you, letting your words sink in. He could see you were serious about him leaving you here. Mando clenched his fists as anger seared through his veins. 

**He was not leaving you again.**

“Stay here.” Mando growled at you. He took off down the darkened hallway, leaving you behind. 

“Like I can go anywhere!” you grumbled to yourself as you dropped to the floor of your cell, no longer holding yourself up to look out of the windows. 

You tried not to think about how Mando might have just left you behind. You wanted to believe the ‘ _ Stay here _ ’ meant he was coming back for you, but you stomped that hope into the ground beneath your boot. He might not be coming back for you - and waiting on him was a gamble your heart was not willing to take. 

Hope was a very precarious thing. 

Hope not only could help make a tough situation more bearable but also could eventually improve lives because envisioning a better future can motivate those to take the steps to make it happen. It has inspired thousands within the galaxy. It’s been a guiding light to those lost in the darkness. But it’s also unforgiving. It’s a cruel and bitter emotion that won’t leave you alone. Hope can set us up for disappointment and defeat. 

Hope was fickle, but it has sparked and fueled rebellions that have changed everything within the galaxy. And it was the only thing keeping you going.

It felt like forever passed before Din made it back to your cell with the droid key that Mayfeld had had on his person. Before locking Mayfeld in the cell he’d also trapped Burg and Xi’an in, Mando had swiped the keycard off of Mayfeld’s body. Once he knew that Mayfeld was safely locked away, Mando wasted no time in getting back to you. He had a very limited amount of time left to get you out and get off this ship. 

Mando shoved the key into the lock on the side of the wall next to your cell, and waited. For a moment nothing happened, making Mando’s heart squeeze tight in his chest. 

_ What was going on? How was he going to get you out? Was the door not going to open since he’d cut the power? _

That thought was cut from his head as your arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him against your body. His own hands wrapped around your torso, pressing you closer to him. He cursed the beskar on his chest for being in the way of feeling you crushed against him. 

You pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes behind the visor. A bright, almost euphoric smile bloomed across your features and Din watched as happiness and joy infected your eyes, truly reflecting on how you felt. 

_ You were free, and back where you belonged.  _

_ With him. _

“I have never been happier to see you.” you told him. The door had opened with a rapid hiss, but you were sliding beneath the door the moment it began to rise.

Mando inhaled and wrangled in his emotions. The two of you could celebrate being reunited together at a later time. Right now, he had to make sure the two of you got out of here before this prison ship was blown to hell and back. 

His hands slid down your back before settling against your waist, his fingers flexed, afraid that if he let you go you would disappear again. “ _ Cyare… _ we have to go.” 

Your eyes widened almost comically as you untangled your arms from behind his head, and stepped away from him. You nodded at him, urging him to lead the way to whatever escape he planned. 

Together you ran down the blood red corridors, rapidly making your way to the exit that Mando had. As you rounded a corner, Mando gripped your wrist and pulled you to a stop. He urged you down the corridor, moving you closer to the exit with great caution. 

When you were nearly there, Mando had you remain behind him - Qin was at the exit, and had a blaster with him. The beskar armor Mando wore would protect him, and putting himself in front of you would give you another layer of protection in case a blaster shot was fired off. 

“Qin.” Mando called out as he emerged around a corner. Qin paused on the ladder, and slowly looked over at you and the Mandalorian.

“You killed the others.” Qin sighed, knowing he’d been defeated. You stared at the large purple Twi’lek, and watched as his gray-ish yellow aura undulated around him in a blob like shape. His aura was not a clean one, and you could tell this Twi’lek had done many shady, distasteful things in his lifetime. You already didn’t trust him.

“They got what they deserved.” Mando replied, not confirming or denying if he killed the others that had betrayed him.

Anger flooded Qin’s body, making him pull his blaster on the Mandalorian. Mando drew his own blaster, making sure to keep you safely behind him. He would have given you a blaster if he had one - and the one you had on your person when you were brought to this prison ship had been confiscated from you and destroyed. 

“You kill me... you don’t get your money.” Qin stated, knowing he’d put Mando in a difficult position - one you knew he was very capable of handling himself. 

“Whatever Ran promised, I’ll make sure you get it and more.” Qin said, trying to bargain for his life. 

Qin shifted forwards as he continued to speak. “ Come on Mando, be reasonable. Huh?” Qin gently tossed his blaster onto the ground where he couldn’t reach it. 

“You were hired to do a job right?” Qin questioned him as he offered his arms out for Mando to place binders around them. 

“So do it. Isn’t that your code? Aren’t you a man of honor?” 

Qin chuckled when Mando didn’t answer him. Mando lowered his blaster, and looked back at you. 

“ _ Cyare _ . Go check on the Child.” he instructed you. 

You looked at him before moving towards the ladder. As your feet hit the first rung, you glanced back at Mando and Qin, confused and curious as to why Mando wanted you to leave them alone. With a nod from the Mandalorian, you ascended the ladder and found yourself in the  _ Razor Crest.  _

Seconds later, Mando’s body was moving up the ladder and into the cargo hold. He moved silently as he searched for the droid that hijacked his ship. You followed closely behind Mando, no longer concerned with Qin and his whereabouts. 

A black droid stood in front of the Kid in the bunk with your lightsaber ignited in its hand, ready to strike the Child down where he stood. You shot your hand outwards, and wrapped all of your energy around your lightsaber, calling it back into yours hands. The metal was cool when it touched your skin, and you felt a wave of relief and contentment wash over you. 

A blaster shot rang out in the hull of the ship, and the droid’s body fell to the ground. The Child looked at his hand before looking up at Mando, where his blaster smoked slightly before he placed it back in its holster. You flicked your thumb over your lightsaber’s ignition switch, and watched as the laser sword powered down. 

Mando moved closer to the Child to check - and double check - that that kriffing droid hadn’t hurt a single hair on his head. You moved up besides him as you attached your lightsaber to your hip, and looked at the Kid over Mando’s shoulder. He looked fine to you - his bubbly green aura bounced around him. The Child cooed happily when he saw you again. He had missed you very much. 

The  _ Razor Crest  _ jumped into hyperspace, and dropped out of hyperspace faster than you knew was possible. It shouldn’t have been possible to travel that fast on such an old ship like this one. 

Mando stood behind Qin as the side ramp lowered down into the hangar bay. You remained hidden in the shadows with the Kid, not wanting to arouse suspicion from Ran or anyone else in the general vicinity inside the hangar bay. 

You listened as Mando spoke with Ran, but with you being so far away you could only make out bits and pieces of their conversation. The Kid cooed quietly in your arms, his stomach growling slightly too, reminding you that all of you needed to eat soon. 

“As soon as we’re safe little one.” you whispered to him as you shifted him in your arms. 

“I did the job.” you heard Mando say. A moment later he ascended the ramp, and walked into the cargo hold to close it and take off. 

“Come on. I need you to strap in.” He said, moving quickly up to the cockpit. You darted after him and up the ladder, settling the Kid in one spare seat while you took the other as Mando powered up the  _ Crest  _ and began take off. 

Three New Republic x-wing starfighters dropped out of hyperspace, forcing Mando to bank left and right to avoid crashing into them. You strained your neck to look out the cockpit windows to watch as they flew towards the hagar, before turning back to look at Mando with an approvingly shocked face. Pulling a lever, Mando got the  _ Crest  _ back into hyperspace. As you traveled through the swirling vortex of hyperspace, Mando sighed audibly and relaxed in his chair. 

Reaching forwards he unscrewed the metal ball that Kid loved to mess with and passed it back to the little guy. “I told you that was a bad idea.” 

He glanced farther over his shoulder, looking at you in the other seat in the cockpit. The Kid’s eyes followed his gaze and cooed happily when he saw Mando staring at you. “Okay, not totally bad.” Mando relented. 

You turned your gaze away from the stars and looked at the back of Mando’s helmet before turning to smile down at the Kid. You wiggled your fingers teasingly at him, making him laugh as he held onto the knob Mando had passed back to him. 

*

Stepping under the spray of the fresher, you couldn’t stop your mind from wandering to him. Reminiscing about Jyn, Baze and Chirrut had stirred up old feelings you thought you had dealt with a long time ago. 

_ Cassian Andor.  _

He’d been your first lover, the reason you had a place to go to on Arvala-7 when you left him and K2SO. He had shown you how to properly shoot a blaster, and he’d risked his position several times within the Rebellion to sneak away and see you to steal kisses and touches under the cover of darkness when he should have been planning or preparing to take down the Empire. 

The spray of the warm water relaxed your muscles, all except for your brian. Your head felt heavy with nostalgia and guilt. Only a few brash decisions had kept you from accompanying Cassian, K2 and Jyn to Scarif. 

You had been in the middle of a crowded cantina on Coruscant when you had felt a cataclysmic disturbance in the Force. And you had felt another disturbance two days later when Alderaan was also destroyed by the Death Star. You had cried for months afterwards, for the millions of innocent lives lost, for your friends, but mostly for him. 

You had loved Cassian with your entire being. His silverish jagged aura had calmed you in ways you had no idea an aura or a person could. Cassian Andor made living in this unforgivable galaxy a little more bearable since your Master had passed away. __

_ Cassian made life fun again. _

When you had fled to Arvala-7 to work for Kuiil, you were content with living out the rest of your days in the desert underneath the baking sun, letting your connection to the Force fade away into nothing. But as time wore on, you craved something that you were missing, something that would complete you. 

_ And then the Mandalorian arrived and made life fun again.  _

Stepping out of the refresher, you wrapped your body in a towel, and moved into your quarters. Pushing passed the curtain, you stepped into the dark. Flicking on the lightswitch with a flourish of your wrist and the use of the Force, you yelped and clutched the towel tighter to your chest when you saw Mando sat on the edge of your bed with the Kid falling asleep in his armorless arms. You would never get used to seeing Mando in but his armor. He donned the armor everyday, and seeing him without it felt strange but was refreshing to see. 

“He wouldn’t stop crying. I figured your room would calm him down enough until you got out of the fresher.” Mando explained, keeping his head tilted downwards, looking at the baby. 

You glanced down at your wet, towel covered naked body before looking back up at the Mandalorian in your bed. 

“Let me get dressed, and then I can take him.” You said, moving towards the rucksack you lived out of. You were surprised Mando had kept your things on the  _ Razor Crest _ after you’d disappeared.

You hurried back to the fresher, haphazardly threw on your clothes and moved back towards your quarters. Mando looked up when he heard your feet pad across the cold metal flooring, coming back to him. 

“Turn the lights off mesh’la.” he said. Hesitating for a moment, you reached over and turned off the lights inside your bedroom, and waited for Mando to speak again. “Come to bed.” 

You walked the few steps it took to get to your bed, finding it hilarious that you still knew your way around in the dark after being gone for so long. You heard Mando shuffle around, pulling back the duvet covering on your bed back. You shuffled to one side of the bed, and laid down, curling onto your side. You let Mando drag the duvet over your legs, letting the fabric settle over your hips, before he reached over you and tucked the Kid into your side. You shifted slightly, pulling the Kid into your chest, wrapping him up protectively in your arms. A moment later, you felt Mando settle behind you, tucking you against his chest, his own arm draping over your side and stomach, allowing his gloveless fingers to absentmindedly rub his thumb over the baby’s fingers as Mando held onto his hand. 

Din couldn’t get you close enough to him to feel relaxed. You’d been gone for so long, and now that you were back, he never wanted you to leave his side again. He practically laid on top of you, keeping you pressed into his side. 

“You trying to smother me in my sleep?” you laughed, turning your head to look back at him. It was too dark to see him, but you kept your eyes closed as you turned your head.

“You deserve it.” Mando mumbled into your back. 

“I deserve it?” you dramatically gasped, trying not to laugh. 

“You left me all alone with our little womp rat. I already told you - he doesn’t like my cooking. I don’t even like my own cooking.” 

“Don’t worry. I’m never going anywhere again. You’re stuck with me skyguy.” 

Mando didn’t say anything, just hugged you closer to his chest. You pressed yourself against him, letting yourself get wrapped up in his warmth. The Kid released a soft little snore, making both of you laugh under your breath before silence fell over the three of you. For the first time in months, Din’s body fully relaxed as sleep took him. 

He’d found you at long last. 


	8. Chapter 7B: Meet Your Maker* (alternative chapter)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: The Mandalorian, The Jedi and The Child find themselves in a strange situation which risks everything for them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: canon violence, SMUT (consensual somnophilia - consent off screen - cockwarming, creampie, penetrative sex, multiple orgasms) 
> 
> ALTERNATIVE VERSION OF HEIST EPISODE  
> A/N: VERSION B - NOT Kidnapped (does not follow the main story line, I couldn’t decide which way I wanted to write the heist episode so I did both versions.)
> 
> Word Count: 10894 words  
> edited 1/15/21

You kriffing hated laundry day. It was one or two days out of every month, depending on how messy the Kid got during the weeks and you hadn’t had the time to dedicate to washing all of your clothes since you’d left Tatooine. Separately, you, the Kid and the Mandalorian didn’t have many articles of clothing to wash, but collectively there were at least 2 loads of laundry to wash, fold and put away. You always made sure to wash the Mandalorian’s clothing before you got to your own or the Kid’s, just trying to do small things to show the Mandalorian how much you appreciated him and all he did for the two of you. 

You hated laundry day for another reason - the clothes you had to wear until your normal ones were dry showed off more skin than normal. Showing more skin wasn’t a problem, it was just so fucking cold on the  _ Crest. _ Goosebumps covered your skin, and your nipples were painfully hard all the time from the biting cold. Today, the garment in question that showed off more skin, was a pretty sheer black two-piece that you had gotten on Naboo when you had stopped there on your way out to the Outer Rim before you went to work for Kuiil. The two-piece was a flattering shimmery black color, with gold and silver swirling star-like patterns stitched into the side paneling of the top. The neckline cut deep, exposing the valley between your breasts until the sharp V shape stopped just above your belly button. This two piece was reserved for special occasions and special occasions only, but today you had run out of clean clothes, and you weren’t about to walk around the  _ Razor Crest _ naked. Especially when Mando was completely covered. 

When you entered the cockpit and Mando looked over his shoulder to silently greet you, you were not expecting him to do a double take. He turned his head in greeting and looked back at the control panel in front of him, before whipping his helmet back around to look at you as his brain finally caught up with what he had seen.

“What do I look stupid or something?” you asked him, trying to keep your voice light as you moved to stand beside him. What if you truly did look stupid in this black outfit?

“N-no.” Mando said looking up the length of your body before clearing his throat, “You look good - great.”

With a sly little smirk on your lips you placed a hand on the side of his neck, letting your fingers dip below his cowl to lightly drag your fingers against his warm skin. “Good enough to eat?” you teased him. You watched Mando inhale sharply as he tilted his helmet slightly to the side, allowing your fingers to slip farther beneath his cowl to touch more of his skin.

“Don’t - don’t start something we can’t finish.” Mando said breathily.

The Kid cooed from besides you in the co-pilot’s seat where his little pram sat. Turning to look at him, you felt your skin grow hot as blood rushed through you. That little green devil had witnessed that whole flirting scene, and now you were glad he couldn’t talk - you were sure he’d embarrass the two of you with no end in sight. 

You laughed, breaking the tension that threatened to fill the room and sat down behind Mando in the other seat inside the cockpit, and looked out at the stars. A giant hangar filled the cockpit windows that looked out into the emptiness of space.

“We’re heading to that hangar.” Mando stated after he had composed himself and stopped thinking about taking you in his pilot’s chair.

“Why are we going there?” you asked as Mando began to approach the hangar, ready to dock the  _ Crest _ .

“I reached out to an old...” Mando fumbled to find the right word to call Ranzar Malk, “...acquaintance looking for work.”

“Okay... but why?” you questioned him from the co-pilot’s seat.

“We need the credits.” Mando stated.

_ Ah... it always came down the kriffing credits. _

“When we dock I want you to stay with the Kid.” Mando told you, leaving no room for you to argue with him on the subject matter.

You opened your mouth to retort, but taking one soft look at him and his aura told you to let the sarcastic comment go. “Fine.”

And so you stayed with the Kid inside the ship while Mando descended the side ramp and walked into the hangar to talk to an old contact of his. You made sure to keep the Kid inside Mando’s quarters with the door locked just in case some nosy prick got inside and slipped past the ground controls.

*

Ran had welcomed Mando back with open arms, which put Mando on edge. There was some bad history between them and Mando wasn’t completely positive he could trust Ran, especially after the way Mando had left. 

“So what’s the job?” Mando asked as they walked across a catwalk overlooking the entire hangar.

“Yeah, one of our associates ran afoul of some competitors and got himself caught. So I’m putting together a crew to spring him. It’s a five person job. I got four.” Ran began to explain as the two of them came to a stop on the catwalk.

“All I need is the ride, and you brought it.” Ran stated, looking at the  _ Razor Crest. _ Mando spun around, worried that someone had made a move towards the  _ Crest _ where you and the Kid were hiding. “Ship wasn’t a part of the deal.”

“Well, the  _ Crest  _ is the only reason I let you back in here.”

Mando clenched his jaw underneath the helmet and cocked his head to the side. He knew he was on edge for a reason. There was no way Ran forgave him for what happened back then. And what was he going to do with you now? He couldn’t exactly explain away why you or the Kid were on his ship. He hoped you’d stay hidden away in his quarters until this job was done and over with.

“What’s the look?” Ran questioned him. “Is that gratitude? Uh-huh I think it is.”

Ran had Mando follow him to the lower level of the hangar to meet the rest of the crew that Ran had accumulated.

“Hey Mayfeld.” Ran called out to a skinny bald headed man.

“Yeah?” answered Mayfeld as he turned around. Mando took note of all the guns Mayfeld had strapped to his body.

“This is the guy I was telling you about. we used to do jobs way back when.” Ran explained. Mayfeld approached Mando and Ran with a dissatisfied look on his face while he looked Mando up and down. “This is the guy?”

“Yeah we were all young, trying to make a name for ourselves.” Ran laughed. “But runnin’ with a Mandalorian, that was... that brought us some reputation.”

“Oh yeah? What’d he get out of it?” Mayfeld asked.

Ran laughed. “I asked him that one time. You ‘member what you said Mando?” Din looked from Mayfeld to Ran with an unamused look on his face beneath the beskar. “Target practice.” Ran laughed. “Man we did some crazy stuff.”

Mando thought of you and the Kid and felt guilt rising in his chest. “That was a long time ago.”

“Well,” Ran sighed. “I don’t go out anymore. You understand? So - uh - Mayfeld he’s gonna run point on this job. If he says it, it’s like it’s comin’ from me. You good with that?”

“You tell me.” Mando replied, looking directly at Mayfeld. Ran laughed again, “You haven’t changed one bit.”

“Yeah well, things have changed around here.” Mayfeld said, before moving off. “Yeah well, Mayfeld, he’s one of the best trigger men I’ve ever seen. Formal Imperial Sharpshooter.”

Mando’s blood ran cold. What if Mayfeld knew what you or the Kid looked like? What if he knew about the bounties on your heads?

“That’s not saying much.” Mando said, trying to remain calm.

“I wasn’t a stormtrooper, wiseass.” Mayfeld snapped, turning to look back at Mando and Ranzar.

Mando and Ran followed behind Ran as they moved closer to the _ Crest _ inside the hangar.

“ _ Razor Crest _ ? I can’t believe that thing can fly.” Mayfeld said, trying to dis Mando any way that he could. “Looks like a Canto Bight slot machine.”

Mando looked away from Ran as they walked through the hangar. “All right, the good looking fellow there with horns, that’s Burg.”

A large devaronian dropped a heavy crate to the ground as he sized up the Mandalorian before him. 

“This may surprise you, but he’s our muscle.” Mayfeld stated as Burg circled around him and got into Mando’s face.

“So this is a Mandalorian.” Burg asked, sounding a bit unimpressed. “I thought they’d be bigger.” 

“Droid’s name is Zero.” Mayfeld continued, as Mando cut his eyes to the droid in question. The thing looked more buglike than anything else, and already Mando felt the itch to squish it. He  _ hated _ droids.

Zero approached Mando, and scanned his entire being up and down like the droid was assessing him. Why did everyone here have to size him up? Sure he had an impressive reputation to uphold, but that didn’t mean they had to egg him on. He sighed heavily. He was here for the job - for the credits and nothing else.

“I thought you said you had four.” Mando said.

“He does.” spoke a familiar voice. Mando slowly turned around and faced who it was.

“Hello Mando.” the purple Twi’lek said as she moved closer to him.

“Xi’an.” Mando stated, a bit surprised to see her. Xi’an was an old fling Mando had had a very  _ very _ long time ago and things hadn’t ended in the best of ways.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t cut you down where you stand?” she asked as she twirled a knife in her hand before lunging at him with a growl.

Mando didn't even flinch as he looked down at her. “Nice to see you too.”

Everyone laughed at their interaction as Xi’an got closer to him, invading his personal space.

“I missed you.” Xi’an lied before glancing down at the new armor he had on. She tapped her knife against his breastplate before looking up at his visor. “This is shiny. You wear it well.” 

“Do we need to leave the room or something?” Mayfeld questioned them. Mando turned away from Xi’an and refocused on the job at hand. He was still going to have to come up with a plan on how to keep you and the Kid from being seen when he got back onto the ship.

“Poor Xi’an’s been a little heartbroken since Mando left our group.” Ran began to explain.

“Ahh, you gonna be okay sweetheart?” Mayfeld teased her.

“Oh I’m all business now,” Xi’an said pointing her knife at Mando’s face. “Learned from the best.”

“All right lovebirds, break it up until you get on the ship. Right now we don’t have much time.” Ran stated, and then began leading everyone towards the  _ Crest. _

Mando hung back for a second, grimacing when Xi’an winked at him before focusing on Burg as he sized Mando up again.

“Tiny.” Burg grunted and then laughed as he followed after the rest of his crew.

*

You grew tired of waiting for Mando, especially when the Kid fell asleep not five minutes after Mando had left. So moving as quietly as you could, you moved down the ladder and placed the Kid inside the bunk that he sometimes shared with Mando, making sure to shut and properly lock the sliding door before doing anything else.

And then you heard the ground controls disengage, and the side ramp in the cargo hold was lowering down making your heart leap into your chest. An overwhelming sense rushed inside the  _ Crest _ , begging and pleading with you to hide somewhere within the ship because something was  _ off _ . Not necessarily  _ wrong _ , just  _ off _ . And you could sense Mando’s aura was attached to the feeling of needing to hide.

In a rush of panic you reopened the little hatch where the Kid was safely tucked away, and crawled inside. You looked back at your room where the curtain hung open, giving you no real privacy or true safe place to hide. You slid the door shut quickly just as someone boarded the ship.

You stayed quiet, not wanting to attract any attention to the small hole you and the Kid were hiding in. And that wave of warning that Mando had sent your way made your nerves feel frazzled. What had made him so cautious?

The  _ Crest _ powered up, and shot off into space only a couple minutes later, leaving you and the Kid safely trapped inside his little cubby hole. You waited there for quite some time, only being jostled around slightly as the  _ Crest _ was put into hyperdrive.

A loud thunk made you jump, and the baby quietly squeaked as he awoke from his brief power nap. His little eyes lit up when he saw you were in his room with him, which made him reach outwards towards you in a cute little ‘grabby hand’ motion. You picked him up and faced the door as muffled voices filtered through the steel of the bedroom door.

“... why we need a Mandalorian.” growled a deep voice just outside the door. You leaned forwards, trying to get a feel for who was inside the  _ Crest  _ with you and the Kid. The door was too thick for you to see or feel any auras and the only aura you could see was the Kid’s tiny green bubble like aura, which filled your vision.

“Well, apparently they’re the greatest warriors in the galaxy.” spoke a different person’s voice. “So they say.”

“Then why are they all dead?” asked the same deep voice that had growled before.

Your breath hitched in shock as those outside the door burst out laughing, and you could feel the anger and the hatred that radiated from Mando. You could sense he was right outside the door, standing and protecting you and the Kid from whoever had boarded the ship when you had landed at the hangar. 

You decided then and there that you did not like these people, and that you were going to follow Mando’s lead on how to handle them if they found you and the Child. You hear more muffled voices, and then Mando’s voice through the door, but you couldn’t quite make out what was being said. You just needed a small hint as to who was on the  _ Crest _ to figure out how to deal with them - and then the door was sliding open as Mando was reeling backwards after shoving someone into the refresher.

Mando, a bald headed man and a purple Twi’lek sat before you in the cargo bay. The Kid cooed happily as the door opened, revealing the mysterious strangers to you and you to them.

“Whoa! What is that?” asked the bald headed man as he moved towards you and the Kid. “ _ Who _ is that?” purred the Twi’lek as she eye-fucked you while she moved closer. 

The bald headed man raked his eyes over your body before settling on the Child in your lap. “You get lonely up here buddy?”

The Kid cooed at the bald headed man as you looked at him, and felt for him in the Force. Miggs Mayfeld - an Imperial sharpshooter -had a strange rusted orange colored aura to him, which undulated around him like oil does when suspended in water. His aura - and the several guns on his person - made you feel rather uncomfortable.

And Xi’an… Now her aura was strange, and one you had rarely seen. Almost like a gradient, Xi’an’s aura radiated outwards from her, getting to a lighter purple color the farther away you got from her. And her aura seemed to ripple, allowing the darkest color to ripple outwards and away from her before it ‘reset’ and started all over again. 

“Wait a minute. Did you two make that thing? Huh?” Mayfeld asked as he turned to look at the purple Twi’lek but then Mayfeld suddenly turned back to look at you. “Did  _ you two _ make that thing?” he said with disgust.

“What is it like a pet or something?” Mayfeld questioned. 

“Did you get a new play toy Mando?” purred Xi’an. You couldn’t stop your eyes from cutting to look directly at Mando. Were he and Xi’an? Had they... Had they been together? You pointedly looked away from Mando as jealousy brewed within your blood, making it begin to boil inside your veins. The possessiveness that washed over you caught you off guard. You had never ever been so possessive about someone in your entire life... so why were you so possessive now?

“Yeah. Something like that.” Mando said, and you weren’t sure who he was answering.

Did he just diss you like that? How could he just call you his ‘ _ play thing _ ’ and let these strangers think there was nothing between the two of you when really there was an endless library full of jumbled feelings and entertaining stories that barely summed up your relationship? Or - the rational side of your brain kicked in - maybe he was making it seem like you weren’t together to keep you and the Kid safe. The Guild was still searching for the two of you.

“Didn’t take you for the type.” Xi’an hummed as she held her knife against her cheek, looking thoughtfully at him. “Maybe that Code of yours has made you soft.”

“Me, I was never really into pets. Yeah, didn’t have the temperament. Patience ya know?” Mayfeld asked, his tone suggesting a completely different kind of ‘pet’ than an actual animal.

“I mean I tried but it never worked out. But I’m thinking...” Mayfeld said, letting his eyes rake over you again. “... maybe I’ll try again with this little fella.”

Mayfeld took the Kid from your hands and into his arms, which made you and Mando move forwards to stop him. Your legs hung out of the Child’s room, and you watched with overly cautious eyes as Mayfeld held the Kid.

“What do you think, honey? Wanna raise him together?” Mayfeld asked you with a wink.

“Huh?” Mayfeld hummed, before looking between Mando and yourself and fake dropping the Child. You nearly lunged forwards but stopped when Mayfeld laughed at the way you and Mando reacted. 

“Dropping out of hyperspace now.” spoke a droid over the intercom system.

You were thrown from the bunk, landing on the ground which sent sharp sparks of pain up your shins before you were jostled around again.

“Commencing final approach, now.” spoke the droid. “Cloaking signal, now.” 

The ship banked hard to one side, sending all of you crashing into different walls of the  _ Crest. _ In the flurry of disarray you hear the Kid cry out as he is dropped on the ground. You watched as Mando dropped to his knees to pick up the Kid while you roughly landed in Xi’an’s arms as she was thrown against a crate. 

“Engaging coupling, now.” the droid advised you all.

The  _ Razor Crest _ roughly docked, sending you into Xi’an’s chest again as her arms wrapped around your midsection to keep you up right. Looking upwards at her face, a wicked and flirty smile formed on her lips, revealing her pointed canines. When your eyes met her, Xi’an couldn't help but wink at you. 

“Coupling confirmed. We are down.” 

Mando picked up the Kid and placed him back inside the bunk they shared. 

“And relax. Commencing extraction now.” 

“That useless droid didn’t even give us a proper countdown.” Xi’an snarled as she dropped her hands from around your waist. 

Burg picked up two crates and roughly tossed them aside, making room to open the hatch that would lead you to wherever you had been taken to. Mayfeld grabbed the comm link from his vest and began speaking into it. “Z, you’re sure they cannot see us?” 

“The  _ Razor Crest _ is scrambling our signature and I am inside the prison system.” 

Your head whipped around to look at Mando as he closed the door to the sleeping nook. Narrowing your eyes you glared at him, silently asking him  **_“Why the kriff are we on a prison ship? And why in the Maker’s name are we breaking in?”_ ** He met your gaze with a small tilt of his helmet in your direction, his expressionless mask answering your questions.  **_“Not now, I will explain later.”_ **

“It’s impressive that this gunship had survived the Empire without being impounded.” spoke the droid. 

“All right. We got a job to do. Mando, you’re up.” Mayfeld said, looking down at the hatch. 

You watched as Mando moved above the hatch, and pressed a button on his vambrace, opening it. He then connected some kind of device to the hatch to access the secondary hatch which would allow you inside the prison ship. You could hear Xi’an giggling behind you with Mayfeld, but your focus was mainly on Burg who stood before you, growling underneath his breath. 

When the hatch finally opened, and Mando stepped back, Xi’an Burg and Mayfeld all looked inside the now open hatch. 

“It’s me?” Mayfeld questioned, wondering who would enter first. 

“It’s always you.” Burg stated. 

With a little hesitancy, Mayfeld ducked his head down, and peaked inside the ship to make sure the coast was clear before he dropped down. Xi’an descended next, and Burg went after her, dropping down with a heavy thud. Stepping up to the hole, you looked at Mando and he looked at you in return. 

“Dank Farrik! Who are they? What are we doing Mando? If this goes south…” you whisper-hissed at him, trying to buy as much time as you could with him without prying eyes or being overheard. There was no way you could stay behind, not when you could provide backup to Mando if he needed it. 

“We’ll be okay  _ cyare _ . I promise.” he said, before tilting his helmet, gesturing for you to drop down first.    
“If we die I am going to kill you.” you promised him.

With an unsatisfied and apprehensive look, you dropped down into the ship with Mando right behind you. 

“All right, we’re on the clock.” Mayfeld said. “The second we engage those droids, they’re gonna be all over us.” 

“I know the drill.” Mando said, sounding calm and collected and perhaps a bit annoyed.    
“Bio trackers activated.” Zero said, “I’ve got eyes.” 

“All right, let’s go.” Mayfeld said, leading the way with his blasters drawn. 

You follow Mando with your lightsaber in your hand (but unignited until you need it) as Burg and Xi’an take up the rear as Mayfeld and Zero guide you all through the endless maze of corridors that can and most likely do hold prisoners. 

Travelling down another endless corridor, you couldn’t help but feel anxious. 

“I don’t like this.” Mando muttered, seemingly echoing the feelings you were having.    
“You always were paranoid.” Xi’an teases him.

“That true Mando. Were you always paranoid?” Mayfeld asks, teasing him in a condescending way. You stare at the back of Mando’s helmet, curious about his life before you joined him and the Kid, before he met you on Arvala-7. He rarely spoke of his childhood - and the rest of his life was just as much a mystery. 

An alien in a cell to your left screams, causing you all to jump. Xi’an hisses at him before laughing in his face as she turns away from him and continues to walk down the hallway. 

“Approaching control room. Make a left at the next junction.” Zero advised you all. 

Mayfeld pressed his back against a wall, before peaking around the corner to check if the coast was clear or not. With a small wave of his hand, he motioned for the rest of you to move. 

Mando - light on his feet - moved farther down the hallway, and motioned for you all to move again. You moved quickly, and hid half your body behind Mando, essentially using him as a human shield while Xi’an and Burg casually waltzed down the center of the walkway, without a care in the world. 

The soft lilting beeps of a MSE-6 (mouse) droid filled your ears as one rounded the corner and came to a stop when it saw all 5 of you. Your thumb hovered over the ignition switch on your lightsaber as Mando trained his blaster at the droid while Xi’an pulled out her knives, Mayfeld aimed his blaster at the bot and Burg tensed in a defensive position. Everyone relaxed a moment later when you realized the mouse droid wasn’t a real threat. 

“What? It’s just a little mousey.” Burg said, looking back at Xi’an and Mayfeld. 

Burg pulled out his blaster and hid it behind his back as he began to coax the mouse droid to him. You stepped out from behind Mando and inched closer to them. The mouse droid - knowing better than to trust the large horned man before it - began slowly rolling backwards. 

“Come here mousey.” Burg cooed. 

“Burg.” Mayfeld said. 

The mouse droid increased its speed, trying to roll away to safety but with a growl Burg shot the droid. 

“No Burg! What are you doin’?” Mayfeld asked. 

“What?” Burg asked, turning to look back at him. 

Not a second later, larger - more intimidating security droids rounded the corner and began advancing on your group. 

“Intruder alert. Open fire.” spoke the droids. 

Your thumb twitches and ignited your lightsaber just as Mando began to fire at the droids. Everyone scrambled for cover, except you stayed planted in place in the middle of the hallway, using your blaster to block and deflect blaster shots back at the four heavily armed security droids that continued to advance on you all. From your left, Mayfiel tried to fire off some shots to help you take down the security droids, but the droids were faster and fired back making Mayfeld’s attempt to help you useless. 

“We’re too exposed here.” Xi’an shouted as she grabbed the neck of your cowl and dragged you backwards to safety with her and Mayfeld once you were within her range of reach. 

“If they get a signal outside, it’s not gonna matter.” Mayfeld shouted over the blaster shots that continued to assault you. Mayfeld’s automatically assisted blaster sprung out from his pack and began to open fire on the droids, but it did little to help. 

“Mando let’s go! You’re supposed to be somethin’ special!” Mayfeld egged on Mando. 

Turning your head to the right, you searched the hallway for your Mandalorian but found him nowhere in sight. Your heart crawled into your throat, thinking for just a second that he’d abandoned you. Reaching outwards with the Force, you feel him near you but you can’t place where he actually is within the ship's walls.   
“I knew it! I knew it!” Mayfeld shouted. 

Peeking outwards from besides Xi’an you see Mando round the corner, and whip out his vibroblade. He inhales and then moves forwards. He runs forwards, sliding on the ground to knock one of the droids off its legs, and then Mando’s back on his feet, the heel of his boot knocking another droid to the ground before shooting down the third with his blaster. The droid behind him fires off a shot, but thanks to the beskar Mando isn’t hurt. 

Whipping around, Mando shoots that droid only to be shoved into a cell door by one of the droids that had been able to recover. You scramble forwards, desperate to help but Xi’an holds you back with all her body weight. You watch as the security droid winds back to punch Mando after slamming him into the wall, but thankfully Mando moves before the droid’s fist can connect with the front of his helmet. You thrash against Xi’an grip, and when Burg goes to move to aide Mando you stop struggling slightly. But then Mayfeld holds up his hand, signalling for Burg to wait, to let Mando handle the droids that have recovered from Mando’s initial attack. 

Burg stops moving to help Mando which makes you struggle against Xi’an more. Mando throws his fist forwards and using his grappling hook (the very same one that cost you your freedom all those cycles ago) punctures one of the security droids and collapses into another one. The head of one of the droids lands at your feet, which startles Xi’an into letting you go. You dash forwards, moving towards Mando just as two more droids appear, their blasters aimed at him. A shot goes off and sparks off the beskar, but you’re sure that taking hit after hit has to hurt. You hurl your lightsaber at the droid just as Mando goes down, rolling onto his back before springing up again to set off his flamethrower. Your lightsaber cuts one of the security droids almost in half while Mando torches the other before using one of their own blasters to shoot it in the head, bringing all of this to a close.

You sigh in relief as your shoulders slump, thankful that Mando isn’t dead or seriously injured. Mando turns to the droid impaled by your lightsaber, and roughly tears it from the droid's dead body. He deactivates it and turns back to you, extending the metal hilt to you. Stepping closer to him - almost touching chest to chest - you take it from him with a silent “ **_thank you_ ** ” as Burg grunts from behind your back. 

The prisoners around you scream and yell and shout, scared and curious about all the noise your little group has caused. Everyone crawls out of their hiding places and saunters down the hallway like Mando hadn’t just saved their asses.    
“Make sure you clean up your mess.” Mayfeld sneers at Mando as he walks past. 

You keep your eyes trained on Mando’s helmet, willing him to keep looking at you and not at Mayfeld or Xi’an or Burg as they move past you. Mando barely tilts his helmet downwards, keeping his focus on you as anger flares within him. He didn’t expect a  _ thank you _ , but Mayfeld didn’t have to be a dick. 

“Come on  _ cyare… _ the faster this gets done, the faster we can leave and finish what we started.” you say, hoping to distract him with your badly pronounced mando’a and the promise of sex. You move around him, and break out into a jog hoping to catch up with the rest of the group. 

“It seems your presence has been detected. Redirecting security alert away from your position.” Zero advised you as you moved deeper into the ship. 

Around yet another corner - all of which look the exact same - Mayfeld grabbed his ear piece and began talking to Zero: “Z! Open the door!”

Zero replied but since you didn’t have the other end of the comm link, you couldn’t hear what he had said.    
“Yeah, okay! All right, just open the door!” Mayfeld repeated, sounding like he didn’t care what Zero had to say. 

Not a moment later, the door to the control room slides open. A New republic soldier turns around, his face - his  _ human _ face - shrouded in fright as you all enter the control room. 

“Stop!” he shouts as he pulls a blaster out, aiming it directly at Mayfeld. Part of you hopes that the soldier will lose his nerve and shoot Mayfeld… but you know that if that happens then all hell will break loose and escaping will be even harder than it already will be. 

“Ju-Just stop right there.” the soldier stutters. You can see just how nervous and afraid he is, and you can see he’s young too. He hasn’t seen or experienced a lot of prison breaks before. “You put down the blaster right now.” 

Mayfeld, cocky as ever, continues his way into the control room, Burg and Mando moving with him while Xi’an moves in the opposite direction leaving you near the entrance. No pressure or anything. 

“Nice shoes.” Mayfeld teases the soldier. 

“Put down the blasters.” the soldier repeats. 

“Matches his belt.” Mayfeld laughs. Burg and Xi’an join in on the humiliation, and that only makes your distaste towards them that much worse. Mando keeps his blaster trained on the New Republic soldier as he steps farther into the room. 

“There were only supposed to be droids on this ship.” Mando says, which gets the soldier to point his blaster at Mando. 

“Hang on, hang on. Let’s see here…” Mayfeld says with an air of calm. “Uh… cell 221.” 

Mayfeld turned around as the New Republic soldier shifted his aim towards Mayfeld. “All right. Now for our well dressed friend here.” 

In a fit of panic, the New Republic soldier grabbed something from his waist and held it up, retraining his blaster on Mando. You tensed and gripped your lightsaber tightly, letting your thumb hover over the ignition switch. Would you be fast enough to deflect a shot from hitting yourself or Mando?

“Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah. Hey, hey. Easy, egghead.” Mayfeld said, but his words were not helping to deescalate the situation. “Put that down. Come on. Put that down.” 

“Easy.”Mando advised as the New Republic soldier rapidly kept switching his blaster from Mando to Mayfeld to you and back again.    
“Put it down now!” Mayfeld advised again, drawing out his own blaster. 

“Easy!” Mando’s authoritative voice echoed around the room before continuing, “Nobody has to get hurt here. Just calm down.” 

“What is that thing?” Burg asked, looking at the white device in the New Republic soldier’s hand.    
“It’s a tracking beacon.” Mando said. Your eyes cut to Mando as your heart stuttered in your chest. If that tracking beacon was active, then the Kid was in grave danger. Forget about yourself, you could handle torture and a prison cell for the rest of your days… but the Child… he had so much of his life left to live. 

“He presses that thing, we’re all done.” Mayfeld adds, pointing out the obvious. “A New Republic attack team will hone in on that signal and blow us all to hell. Put it down!” 

Xi’an - who had seated herself in one of the few chairs within the room - leaned forwards before speaking, “Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious.” 

“You didn’t think we needed to know that tiny little detail?” Xi’an questioned him. 

You could feel the tension in the room rising rapidly, and as sweat trickled down your back, an uneasy wave of nausea washed over your being. You shifted just slightly to get Mando to focus on you for a second, to warn him about the sudden change within the atmosphere, but he didn’t look at you to receive your warning. 

“I didn’t think we’d get to this point!” Mayfeld admitted. 

“Yet here we are.” Xi’an purred humorlessly. 

Mayfeld whipped to his left to address Xi’an. “Are you questioning my managerial style Xi'an?”

“No sir.” Xi'an mocked him as she saulted at him. 

“Hey, listen to me.” Mando said, gaining the New Republic soldier’s attention.    
“Hey, hey, hey. Listen to me, okay?” 

“Look.” Mando holstered his blaster, trying to de-escalate a very dangerous and continually worsening situation. He turned to you and Mayfeld and gestured for you to put down your weapons. You relaxed your stance and lowered your lightsaber to your side, keeping it within reach just in case shit hit the fan. 

“Are you crazy?” Mayfeld questioned Mando, which made the New Republic soldier jittery. 

“Put it down.” Mando said again, before focusing back on the soldier. “What’s your name?” 

“It’s Davan.” 

“Davan.” Mando repeated. “We’re not here for you. We’re here for a prisoner. If you let us go about our job, you can walk away with your life.”

“No he won’t.” Mayfeld said, raising his blaster again, taking a step forward towards Davan. 

Mando withdrew his blaster again and aimed it at Mayfeld as you readjusted your lightsaber with your thumb on the ignition switch, ready to aid Mando if he needed it. Mayfeld withdrew another gun and aimed it back at Mando, making this shit show ten times worse. 

“You realize what you’re gonna bring down on us?” Mando asked, aiming his question at Mayfeld. 

“You think I care about that?” Mayfeld asked, the arrogance in his words making your skin itch.    
“We’re not killing anybody. You understand?” Mando said, leaving no room for argument. 

“Get that blaster out of my face, Mando.” 

“I can’t do that.” 

“Get that blaster outta my face Mando!” Mayfeld shouted, his additional guns coming out of his pack. Burg growled as he trained his own gun on you and Mando, while you ignited your lightsaber and tensed your body again. Mando primed his flamethrower and shoved his arm out towards Burg.    
“Don’t.” 

Davan staggered backwards and crashed into one of the control panels before slumping to the ground. You watched as his body stilled and a shockwave rippled through your body as his soul left him. The Force cried out, deeply and profoundly saddened that this young man had met his end too soon. You staggered back a step as fervent sadness filled you. 

“Would you both just shut up.” Xi’an said, standing from her seat. She moved towards Davan’s body to remove her knife. 

“Crazy Twi.” Mayfeld said, holstering his blasters. “I had it under control.” 

“Yeah. Looked like it.” Xi’an chuckled as she yanked her knife out of Davan’s body. 

Everyone’s eyes tilted downwards as the tracking beacon that Davan had been holding, ready to press at a moment's notice, began to beep and blink rapidly. Another wave of uneasiness washed over you, the impending feeling of not having enough time weighing down on your shoulders. 

“Was that thing blinking before?” Mayfeld asked, looking at the orange lights blinking brightly from the white tracking fob before looking upwards at Mando, Burg and yourself. “Was it?”

“Zero to Mayfeld. Zero to Mayfeld.” Zero spoke over the comm link system, trying to gain Mayfeld’s immediate attention. 

“What?” Mayfeld barked back at the droid inside the _ Razor Crest _ . 

“I have detected a New Republic distress signal honing in on your location.” Zero said. 

Your heart plummeted in your chest as Mando spun around, looking back at the corridor you had all come from before turning back to face Mayfeld. 

“You have approximately 20 minutes.” Zero concluded.    
Xi’an shrugged her shoulders as she looked at Mayfeld, her bloody knife in her hand. “We only need five.” she said before taking off, pushing you by your shoulder to move in front of her. You reattached your lightsaber to your hip, freeing up your hands to shove Xi’an’s off of you. 

“Let’s go. Let’s go. Move, move move.” Mayfeld said as he and Burg began running after Xi’an and yourself. 

The five of you took off down the repeating corridors, searching for cell 221 and whoever they had planned on breaking out. You had tried to use the Force to feel and guide your way through the ship but found yourself blocked and confused by so many Force signatures from all the prisoners trapped within the prisonship. 

Rounding yet another corner, the five of you came upon a hovering security droid. With a deafening roar, Burg shouldered past you and body slammed the black security droid into the ground, over and over and over again. Standing there, shell shocked, you watched as Burg picked up the security droid and hurled it at a second security droid that had moved towards your location. The droids collided together, and exploded into flames. On your right, Xi’an smiles at the carnage and on your left Mando stands frozen, watching the Devaronian create destruction. 

Mando is the first to move on from the wreckage, the clock was counting down and time was rapidly slipping away from all of you. Following after him, you continue through the prison, weaving your way through corridors, making steady progress towards cell 221. 

Mayfeld pulls out a device and slides it into the security key slot outside of cell 221 when you arrive. “Z, open it up!” 

“You have 15 minutes remaining.” Zero said as the key slot began to spin and beep as Zero began hacking into the security system to break the prisoner inside the cell out.    
“Come on, come on. Open it up!” Mayfeld urged him, the pressure of only having 15 minutes to make your dastardly escape suddenly becoming much more real and pressing. 

The security door slides open, and seated inside the dimly lit cell is a male Twi’lek. He raises his head as the door slides open and takes in the group standing on the other side of his cell door. Mando steps forwards when he recognizes who exactly has been locked away, and you can feel a heavier tension fill the air. You stare at the large purple Twi’lek, and watch as his gray-ish yellow aura undulated around him in a blob like shape. His aura is not a clean one, and you can tell this Twi’lek has done many shady, distasteful things in his lifetime. You already don’t trust him.

“Qin.” Mando says. 

“Funny. The man who left me behind is now my savior.” he sneers. Qin - the imprisoned Twi’lek - stands from his seat in his cell and moves towards Mando. Qin steps out of his prison cell and turns to face Mando, sizing each other up. 

“Mando.” Qin says when they stop moving. 

Burg growled from behind you and as you turned to look at him, he moved forwards, connecting his fist with Mando’s chestplate sending Mando backwards into the cell Qin had just occupied. Xi’an and Qin’s hands wrap around your biceps, holding you back as you go to surge forwards to help Mando.    
“No!” you cry out as Mayfeld closes the cell door as he slams his hand against the button on the wall.

You thrash against Xi’an and Qin as Burg wraps an arm around your middle, hauling you off the ground like you’re a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. He holds you in one arm against his chest as you wiggle and squirm to get out of his iron hold. 

“Mando!” you frantically screamed, using everything within you to get out of Burg's grip.   
“Brother.” Xi’an beams as she turns to Qin.

“Sister.” He smiles as they hug. 

“Attacks on the way. He’s already dead meat. Let’s go.” Mayfeld said as they began moving down the corridor, away from the cell Mando was now trapped in. 

“Come on, it’s better this way.” Qin said as he moved away, leaving Xi’an standing before the locked cell door. 

“You deserve this! I am going to enjoy your little toy.” Xi’an shouted as she moved away from the cell. Burg rounded the corner with you still clutched in his arm, falling into step with Mayfeld with Qin and Xi’an hot on your heels. 

“Zero we got Qin.” Mayfeld said into the comm link when the five of you were closer to the exit point. 

“I found some information on the Mandalorian and the Jedi.” Zero relayed. 

Your skin grew clammy as Zero spoke. What exactly had he found out about the two of you?

“From the Bounty Hunter’s Guild.” 

“Yeah. Yeah, do whatever. Just get us off this ship.” Mayfeld replied. 

“You have 10 minutes remaining.” Zero said. 

*

“Zero to Mayfeld. Zero to Mayfeld.” Zero spoke over the comms, breaking the silence. 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Mayfeld said, holding his hand out to stop the entire group. With a flourish of your legs, you shoved all of your body weight backwards into Burg, trying to knock yourself free from his grasp. The Devaronian grumbled under his foul smelling breath and squeezed his arm tighter around your midsection, forcing most of the air from your lungs. A gasp like squeak left you as you tried to breathe in again but no air expanded inside your lungs - not with Burg crushing down on them. 

“Yeah?” Mayfeld asked.

“You may have a potential problem. He has escaped.” Zero said. 

Your ears perked up at that revelation. You stopped thrashing against Burg and drew in as much oxygen as you could in order to scream to let Mando know where you were. Burg clamped a hand down over your mouth, muffling any chance you had of alerting the Mandalorian to your location. 

Xi’an yelled in frustration, before turning back to snarl at Mayfeld. “I told you we should have ended him.” 

“I know!” Mayfeld said as he moved to get into Xi’an’s face. 

“This is your fault!”

“I know!”

Xi’an and Mayfeld continued yelling at each other, getting closer and closer together, making Burg and Qin have to get involved. Burg dropped you as he moved in between Xi’an and Mayfeld, just as Qin grabbed his sister around the middle to hold her back from doing anything drastic. 

And then the lights went out, and the emergency lights powered on, bathing the hallways in red. 

Loud and heavy thunks off to your right and left lets you all know that the Mandalorian had made it back to the control room and had begun locking down the ship, starting with the blast doors. With the team panicking, you know this is the only time you’ll get to slip away from them. When the opportunity presented itself you were going to make a break for it and hopefully you wouldn’t meet your Maker. 

“Come on!” 

“Go. Go! Go!” Burg shouts. 

Mayfeld’s hand grabs onto Qin as Qin yanks you forwards with him as they surge forwards, with Xi’an and Burg trailing behind you. You stumble to right your footing as you run through the dimly red lit corridors, trying to find an alternative route back to the  _ Razor Crest _ before the prison ship gets blown to hell and back. 

You yanked your arm out of Qin’s grasp and urged your feet to go faster. The soles of your boots slammed against the metal flooring as you will yourself to move faster, to put some distance between you and the people that were dead set on killing Mando and perhaps yourself. 

“No!” Xi’an screamed as a blast door closed before her and Burg, cutting them off from Qin, Mayfeld and yourself. Whipping around, you watch as Mayfied and Qin try to pry open the sealed door.    
“Burg! Burg!” Mayfeld shouts, trying to talk through the thick metal door as he and Qin desperately try to get the door open. 

You slowly begin backing away from them, seeing this as your one chance to get away and hopefully make it to the _Razor_ _Crest_ before they can. Your lungs and legs ache as you run through the corridors, searching for anything that looks even remotely familiar in this hell hole. 

But every turn you make looks the exact same, and you fear you’re running in circles. Voices - Mayfeld’s and Qin’s - echo through the halls from behind you, spurring you into a mindless panic as you keep trying and failing to put distance between them and yourself. The red lights around you flash from red to white before plunging you into complete darkness before illuminating the world around you for a brief second in red again. 

Rounding a corner, you came face to face with the backs of 3 armed security droids going about their patrols. Holding your breath you quickly backtracked, and pressed yourself against a wall, making yourself as small and quiet as possible. You closed your eyes and listened - praying to the Maker that the security droids hadn’t heard your heavy footsteps approaching them or retreating when you spotted them. 

Seconds passed but it feels like hours, waiting to see if those droids would round the corner and shove a blaster in your face before quickly ending your life. Blaster fire from several hallways away echoes around you, making you question what you should do next. You tipped your head back and let it lightly thunk against the wall, turning your gaze up at one of the many security cameras that monitored the entire ship. 

With a sad shake of your head, you gave the camera pleading look, hoping that Mando was still in the control room looking to see where everyone was. What could you do? Going back to find Mando wasn’t a great option. You ran the risk of running into Mayfeld and Qin or Xi’an and Burg, and you didn’t want to reunite with either pair. But going back to the  _ Crest  _ was also nearly as impossible. These fucking hallways all looked the same, and you were rapidly running out of time to escape with your life. 

With a strange frustrated groan you slammed your fist into the wall as angry tears filled your eyes. The red lights around you flash from red to white before plunge you into complete darkness before repeating the cycle again. You felt like such a damsel in distress, just waiting for your knight in shiny beskar to come save your sorry ass. But you couldn’t wait around for him, and you couldn’t leave without him either. 

_ Fuck!  _

_ What the hell were you supposed to do? _

_ What were you going to do? _

Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, you released all the anger and fear you were feeling and cleared your mind. You would handle one thing at a time. First - you had to get back to the  _ Razor Crest. _ You would be no good to the Kid or anyone if you were dead, or captured again. Taking another deep breath, you shift your weight and run. 

Rounding yet another corner, you come face to face with Qin pointing his blaster at you as he stands before the ladder leading up into the  _ Razor Crest _ . You slide to a halt and raise your hands to show him you mean him no harm.

“Hello  _ pet _ .” he purrs which sends chills down your sweat slick spine. 

With a flick of his blaster he motions for you to climb up the ladder. Slowly and cautiously, you walk past him, keeping your eyes on his person with every step you take to make sure he won’t try and strangle or shoot you once your back is turned. You move to grab the ladder when you hear him. 

“Qin.” Mando calls out, walking around the corner without a care in the world. You’ve never been happier to see him. Qin roughly grabs the back of your neck and slams you into the ladder, where your temple connects with a rung. 

“You killed the others.” Qin sighs, knowing he’s been defeated. He shoves you to the ground before his feet, making you land roughly on your knees in front of the Mandalorian. Pain flares on your temple and radiates outwards from your knees as you catch yourself. 

“They got what they deserved.” Mando replies, not confirming or denying if he killed Mayfeld, Xi’an, and Burg. Anger floods Qin’s body, knowing that Mando murdered his sister, making him pull his blaster on the Mandalorian. Mando draws his own blaster as he glances down to check that you aren’t seriously injured. 

“You kill me... you don’t get your money.” Qin states, knowing he’s put Mando in a difficult position - one you know he’s very capable of handling himself. 

“Whatever Ran promised, I’ll make sure you get it and more.” Qin said, trying to bargain for his life. 

Qin shifted forwards as he continued to speak. “ Come on Mando, be reasonable. Huh?” 

Qin gently tossed his blaster onto the ground where he couldn’t reach it. With your foot, you kicked it towards Mando just to be safe and rose to your feet, cautiously watching as Qin continued to move towards Mando. 

“You were hired to do a job right?” Qin questioned him as he offered his arms out for Mando to place binders around them. 

“So do it. Isn’t that your code? Aren’t you a man of honor?” 

Qin chuckled when Mando didn’t answer him. Mando seemed to falter and lowered his weapon. You slowly get to your feet again as Mando grabs a spare pair of cuffs from his pocket and secures them around Qin`s wrists while he remains subdued.

“Climb.” Mando orders and helps the Twi`lek grab onto the ladder.

You scrambled up the ladder after Mando and Qin, and crawled into the hull of the  _ Razor Crest. _ Shoving your rapidly tiring body to your feet, you glanced at the bunk to see if the Child was there - he was - but Zero’s body was also there, smoking with a blaster wound in its chest cavity. You moved towards the Child, ignoring Qin, and picked him up, double and triple checking that the droid hadn’t hurt him in any way. You hopped up into the sleeping bunk, and cradled the Kid to your chest as Mando powered up the ship, and worked on getting you all into hyperspace. 

Your bodies rocked and swayed with the ship as it made the jump to hyperspace, and only moments later jumped out of hyperspace. In only a couple of spare minutes, Mando was docking inside the hangar again to deliver Qin to Ran. 

Mando stood behind Qin as the side ramp lowered down into the hangar bay. You remained hidden in the shadows with the Kid, not wanting to arouse suspicion from Ran or anyone else in the general vicinity. 

You listened as Mando spoke with Ran, but with you being so far away you could only make out bits and pieces of their conversation. The Kid cooed quietly in your arms, his stomach growling slightly too, reminding you that all of you needed to eat soon. 

“As soon as we’re safe little one.” you whispered to him as you shifted him in your arms. 

“I did the job.” you heard Mando say. A moment later he was ascending the ramp, and walking into the hold to close it and take off. 

“Come on. I need you to strap in.” He said, moving quickly up to the cockpit. You darted after him and up the ladder, settling the Kid in one spare seat while you took the other as Mando powered up the  _ Crest _ and began take off. 

Three New Republic x-wing starfighters dropped out of hyperspace, forcing Mando to bank left and right to avoid crashing into you. You strained your neck to look out the cockpit windows to watch as they flew towards the hagar, before turning back to look at Mando with an approvingly shocked face. Pulling a lever, Mando got the  _ Crest _ back into hyperspace. 

As you traveled through the swirling vortex of hyperspace, Mando sighed audibly and relaxed in his chair. Reaching forwards he unscrewed the metal ball that Kid loved to mess with and passed it back to the little guy. “I told you that was a bad idea.” 

Mando turned back around to pilot the ship. 

“How’s your head?” he asked several minutes later. 

“Hm?” you asked, tearing your eyes away from the beauty of hyperspace. It never got old, seeing the stars and hyperspace zoom passed you. 

“How’s your head?” Mando repeated. 

“Hurts but it’s okay.” you told him honestly. 

“When we drop out of hyperspace I can put the ship on autopilot. Then we can get you a bacta patch for that bump.” 

“We are not wasting a bacta patch on this. I’ll just sleep off this headache.” 

“Go to sleep  _ cyare _ . I will wake you if I need you.” Mando tells you, twisting in his chair to look back at you.

You look at his visor, and then down at the Kid with a small look of guilt crossing your face. 

“Go. We’ll be okay.” Mando says, nodding towards the door. You rise from your seat, and smile at him. “Thank you.” 

*

You wake up your bed, your body completely exposed to the cold air of the  _ Crest _ , with your stomach tightening in familiar pleasure. 

“Easy.” Gritty and unmodulated, his voice calms you, drops you into a comfortable, sleepily-aroused state. You barely recognize he’s removed his helmet, and is between your thighs. 

“Easy,” he repeats, dragging the word out like he knows you’re savouring every single syllable he’s speaking, “You’re okay. I’ve got you.” 

His head drops between your thighs and you yelp in surprise when his bare hand grabs between your legs, fingers spreading over your cunt until a weak little moan places itself in the back of your throat. He collects your slick with two fingers and smears it around your swollen folds, gets you nice and ready for what he wants to do with you, now that you’re awake. 

“I’ve been here for hours, finishing what you started.” he comments, as you feel his breath fan across your clit, the warmth of his breath making you flutter around nothing. “I’ve already made you cum four times. Think you can give me another one?” 

“Y-yes.” you breath out, shocked that he’s already made you cum four times before you woke up.

His tongue barely licks your clit, giving it the barest touch but fire still scorches through your veins. You moan out, high pitched and breathy, the entire room swallowing up your soft little mewls. 

“How - why didn’t I -?” you try to formulate a coherent question, asking how he’s been able to make you orgasm so many times, and not simultaneously wake you up. Your knees involuntarily begin to fall closed before his hands stop them.

He pushes your knees aside and kisses up from your knee to your inner thigh, hot wet kisses which suck harsh bruises into the flesh there. He creates this path with his teeth and tongue on both your legs, until he takes a deep breath and shoves his face against your pussy. 

“Because I took my time, little one.” he hums between your legs. Waves of pleasure lick down your spine as he calls you by that pet name. Something about him calling you ‘sweet thing’ or ‘little one’ or any other nickname made your brain short circuit. 

“Because I like how you taste when you cum on my tongue. I like how your body gives me everything I draw from it.” he teases you. 

Sinfully, he buried his mouth into your pussy again, his prominent nose rolling around your overstimulated clit, sending a surge of pleasure through your tummy that hit you like a ton of bricks. Sucking on your folds, he tasted your desire, struggling to breathe and satisfy his hunger for you simultaneously. He settled with tongue fucking you, his moans vibrating along your inner thighs. You fought the urge to suffocate him with your thighs just to keep his mouth on you.

“Come, little one,” Mando begged you. “Let me taste you.” It was too much. Your body had never had so many orgasms in one night, pulled from you over and over and over again. Your body couldn’t handle all of the pleasure that mixed with a bit of pain within your veins. 

“Man-Mando - I - I can’t!” you whined, shifting on your bed, desperate to pull one of your legs up over his shoulder, to drive his face closer to your cunt. Without moving his mouth, he caught your thigh in midair. 

“I know you can baby.” Mando commented, before he sucked your clit between his lips, biting down on it. 

Your toes curled, fingers clenching at the beautiful wavy hair he usually hid under his intimidating mask. Maker, you were close.  _ You were so close _ . Your whole body tensed, waiting for the pleasuring relief shooting through your body like electricity.

“Mando, please…” you begged him, desperate for that little bit more you needed to send you over the edge. 

“That’s what I thought…” 

Wasting no time, Mando eased two of his gloveless fingers inside of you and pounding furiously, curling them to hit your sweet spot. You let out a loud scream, tilting your head from side to side, desperate for release.

With his fingers still fucking into you, his tongue licked over your clit, dancing over it so fast your eyes rolled to the back for your head. Mando wrapped his left arm around your waist, pressing your cunt even closer to his face as his tongue swirled around your clit one more time before he sucked it between his teeth again.

“Oh fuck. Mando!”

“Cum for me, little girl.” His voice vibrated against your cunt, ripping another moan out of you.

And it was enough for you to obey him as your orgasm washed through you like a tidal wave. You came hard around his fingers, relentlessly drilling into you, to help you ride out our orgasm. He pulls away only once he can sense you’re overstimulated, but he’s nowhere near done with you yet. His cock weeps for you, you can feel it dripping precum across your skin as he positions himself on top of you fully.

“So fucking good for me, you precious little creature.” Mando says, his unfiltered voice filling your ears. 

“Mando!” You clamp a hand over your mouth in a gasp, and this time when your hips rise he lets them, for it allows him to slide in deeper, allows him to bury himself to the hilt in your tight cunt. 

He remains still for a moment, allowing you to adjust to his large size - one you’re never sure how you manage to fit inside you. You are heaven around him, the hot wet clench of your cunt on his cock has him groaning, has his head dizzy with fathomless desire. Mando’s hand slides over your sweat slick sink, one holds himself up while the other comes to cup a breast before pinching and twisting a nipple of yours, making you keen and arch your back, wanting him to touch more of you. 

He drops his head to the crook of your neck, and nuzzles his nose against your skin, inhaling the way you smell: your sweat, your natural scent, and the soap you use in the fresher, the same soap he uses which makes you smell like him. His tongue laves across your body, licking over your scorching skin tasting the salt that clings to you as he slowly pulls out of your tight pussy before slowly pushing back in. He sucks hard on your throat as his powerful thighs and hips use all their strength to ram his cock into you. Your cunt gets wetter with every punishing drive he fucks into you. Your mewls of pleasure became a cry when he hit deeper inside of you.

But he still isn’t done, and you whine as he fucks you through your orgasm, drops his head into the crook of your neck as his cock continues to split you in two. He is so far inside you that he can  _ feel  _ your cervix, can feel the resistance when he has filled your cunt fully, and that makes him groan, makes him grunt through gritted teeth because it’s just so good, so right, that you were made exactly to take him.

You’re oversensitive and he knows this, can tell by the way you’re squirming, gasping, pawing at his sides. You’re pliant and malleable in his hands, and he adjusts your legs, throws one over his shoulder so that he might hit at a different angle, one that hasn’t made you so raw.

Mando lets his eyes close and can feel his stomach tensing up, his balls drawing up against his body. His sweat mixes with yours as he pounds into you, and he wants to cum inside you so badly, he begs for it.

“Please little one - let me cum inside you. Please - let me fill your cunt with my cum.” 

“Please Mando. Please - please - please - please - please. “You babble incoherently. 

With the permission he seeks finally granted, Mando cums so hard he blacks out. His head falls against the crook of your neck again as his cum fills your cunt, and you wrap your arms around his neck, one hand threading through his hair, your nails scraping against his scalp. Your other hand pressing against his sweaty bare chest, feeling his heart beat beneath your palm as most of his weight crushes you to the mattress below you. His orgasm seemed to last forever as he pumped spurt after spurt of his cum, hot and thick, deep into your cunt. Coating your walls with his very essence as you greedily took it all. 

His hot breaths fans out across your clavicle, the warmth of his air driving away the cold air inside the  _ Razor Crest _ for a moment before repeating the cycle, over and over and over again. His head remains pressed against your neck, with his nose nudging against your jaw as Mando places soft but not lazy kisses to your skin. 

“You did so good for me.” he breathes, still coming down from his high. 

You hum below him, still blissed out from your own orgasm and the many others Mando had given you during the night.

“I love you.” you tell him, keeping him close.

“I love you too  _ cyare _ .” 


	9. Chapter 8: Not Like This*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: A dark storm is brewing on the horizon, one you and the Mandalorian are desperately preparing for. Will your preparations be enough to keep the Child safe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: canon violence, blaster/gunshot injuries, SMUT: (cockwarming, degrading speech/dirty talk, vaginal fingering, overstimulation, choking (blood restriction not breath play) unprotected sex, mentions of breeding kink/talks of being impregnated) FEELINGS, character death. 
> 
> A/N: this is it. The second to last chapter!! FINAL CHAPTER COMIN TO YA ON NEW YEARS DAY
> 
> Word Count: 12,584 words edited 1/15/21

Traversing through the depths of space, the Mandalorian, and the Jedi finally found themselves alone in the cockpit, while the Child slept down in the Mandalorian’s uncomfortable bunk. 

Your naked body was draped over the Mandalorian’s, your back to his chest - the cold bite of the beskar forcing goosebumps to ripple across your flesh. Your legs were hooked over his spread thighs, exposing you to the cool air of the cockpit. The two of you had been in this position for hours, scrambling for some time alone as soon as the Child had gone down for the night. 

His hands explored your naked body as if it were the first time he’s actually allowed to do so. His gloveless fingers had not left your body since you straddled him, making sure to touch every single inch of skin that was available to him. His fingers ran across your skin in mindless patterns, and you mew softly at how hot his skin burned against yours, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. 

In the hours that you had been here, you had lost count of how many times he had made you cum with just his touch alone. He wouldn’t give you his cock just yet, even if you could feel how hard he was, nestled against your ass cheeks. He wanted to enjoy every expanse of skin he could touch and every cry you gasped out for him. He pinched your nipples, making them rock hard from the ache he created in them, before he teased your clit, running his fingers through your soaked folds, whispering filthy things in your ear. 

Your flesh moved under his fingers as he brushed down the swell of your breasts, barely even lifting them when he gently tested the weight of each one in his palms. He was slow enough in his exploration that it somehow made you wetter and wetter even though he had hardly done anything to you after he spent an agonizingly long time letting you cool down and recover from the last orgasm you had. You were embarrassed at how responsive your body was to his touch and his voice. 

“You promised me could be patient, little one,” he reminded you, fingers idly circled your pebbled nipple, making you arch your back against his chest and drop your head against his shoulder as he lightly tweaked your nipple. Your eyes closed automatically, the pleasure his hands brought you nearly rendered you speechless. 

“Touch me,” you heard yourself beg, goosebumps broke out along your skin again while he began to slowly trace along the outside of your slit, up and down, up and down but never sinking his fingers inside your aching cunt. 

“I am touching you.” he told you. You shifted forwards, your torso came off of Mando’s chest, where your eyes dropped down to look at your exposed body, watching as he teased you. Your entire being shook and convulsed slightly. 

“Oh, fuck —  _ please _ , Mando, touch me, I —”

“Shh...,” he told you softly as he continued to rub his fingers over your sensitive clit in tight circles. “Such filthy words for such a pretty thing,” he mumbled quietly, more to himself than to you. “I might just have to punish you.” he mused, making your pussy flutter around nothing. 

You felt desperate, your blood pounded through your ears as he took all the time in the galaxy to explore your skin and memorize your reactions. “Stars, don’t do this —  _ please _ — I need you to —”

You moaned out, throwing your head back against his pauldron, grinding down onto his fingers as he sank them inside you. You moaned out low and loud at the brief pain that flared in your head from the sudden and sharp contact of bone against beskar.

“You’re dripping sweet girl… so wet for me.” he growled in your ear, his helmet made it sound like gravel in your ear. 

“Always.” you breathed out, your nerves in every part of your body began to tense up again. He didn’t increase his pacing, which made your eyes roll to the back of your head. He was being a fucking tease. 

“I - I’m gonna -” you gasped out, your hands sliding over your breasts to cup and pinch your nipples, adding just a bit of pain to the pleasure you were feeling. “ - gonna cum.”

His fingers curled deep inside you, pressing hard against something so absolutely fucking devastating inside you, it shattered you. You arched your back, pressing your shoulders back against his chest as you ground against his thick fingers. He worked you through your orgasm with his fingers, never once faltering in his rough and eager pacing. 

He slowly pulled out of your soaked cunt and held your thighs open with wet fingers, pausing momentarily to give your sensitive clit a few more lazy, gentle flicks and only let go of you once you whimpered softly, jerking away from the overstimulation. And then he brought his cum coated fingers up toward his face, dipped his fingers beneath his helmet and slipped them into his mouth, sucking and licking every drop of your sweet cum off of his heated skin, moaning at your tasted. 

His sensitive tip slid over your clit making you shudder above him before he notched himself at your entrance. His head pushed inside you, slowly spreading you open as you took the first inch of his massive length. Your sensitive walls clung tightly to every fucking inch, and ridge of him, lighting your nerves up from the inside out, sending shockwaves down your thighs and rapidly up your spine. Mando eased his way inside you as he slowly broke you open to take every inch of his massive cock.

He rocked his hips up and he slid in easier than ever before, but he didn’t start fucking you. Even though he was rock hard inside you, thick and pulsing and breaking you open, he didn’t move a single inch. He just kept himself there, continuing to rub circles around your clit, slowly torturing you, slowly opening you up to take all of him. 

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as Mando moaned behind you, loving the way your cunt squeezed around his cock, molding yourself to fit him perfectly. He was convinced he'd been wrongfully blessed by  _ manda _ . He had done nothing within his life to deserve you. 

“Have you gone cockdumb, little one?” he teased you and you arched your back into the air again, your nipples aching. His hands snaked upwards, ghosting and gliding across your skin before one of his hands wrapped around your throat, being mindful not to crush down on your windpipe, but instead used his fingers to apply just enough pressure to your carotid arteries, to restrict blood flow to your brain. 

“Ever been fucked like this?” Mando asked, his voice hard as he felt your cunt clench down on him. He delivered a particularly harsh thrust up into your dripping cunt. 

“Not - not like this.” you gasped out, your entire body felt like it was on fire and completely full. 

“Not like what?” Mando teased you, using his thighs to fuck up into you, driving his cock deeper inside you. A moan slipped from your throat as your eyes fell shut. 

“You’re - fuck - you’re -” you breathed out, your hand wandered down to press against the bulge in your lower stomach.  _ He’s huge. _ He rubbed somewhere deep inside of you that made you clench almost painfully around him. You felt the hard outline of his erection beneath your palm, beneath your skin, deep inside your soaking pussy. 

“Keep that up and I’ll cum inside you,” he muttered, his arms wrapping around your torso, holding you tight against him, “and I  _ won’t _ pull out.” 

Your moans filled the air around you at the thought of Mando cumming inside of you, of keeping his cock stuffed deep inside your for as long as time would allow the two of you to be together before the Child awoke.. 

“ _ Fuck _ , you got tight at that,” he cursed at a particularly deep thrust, his hand at your throat moved down to roughly cup a breast. His other hand splayed itself over your rib cage, feeling as much of your skin as he possibly could. “Would you like that? For me to cum deep inside your tight little cunt? Fuck you full until you’re carrying my child?”

His large hand came down to where you were joined, his fingers brushed over your sensitive clit. Mando continued circling your clit with only the barest of touches from his fingertips, teasing and toying with you as he committed every reaction that your body had to his memory. Your body tensed and squeezed down on him, and Mando shushed you before you realized you were making too much noise as your orgasm built up and exploded inside you.

“There you go… cum for me.”

Your orgasm felt like it lasted forever and you felt yourself clamp down around him, your cum gushed out of you and dripped down his balls. You were still cumming by the time he pulled you back into his chest, his cool helmet nuzzled into your neck.

“There we go,” he praised you, “Cumming for me like the good little slut that you are.”

You whined at his words, too far gone to even think of a witty come back or to tell him that ‘ _ yes, you were his good little cock slut. _ ’ 

A few more harsh snaps of his hips and he stilled behind you, grinding his cock as deep as it could go as he found his release. You felt him pulse inside you, warm ropes of his cum filled you as you completely milked him of every drop he could give you. He let out a noise similar to a growl, his body went completely rigid as he finally emptied himself inside you. His cum slowly oozed out of your swollen lips, and coating your inner thighs before it mixed with yours and dripped down his balls and absorbed into his pants. 

You fell backwards as you shuddered and tried to get your erratic breathing under control. Mando was no better, his chest rose and fell rapidly behind your back. Mando’s ungloved hands snaked down your body before they rested against your lower abdomen, pressing against the bulge his cock made inside you. He pressed down just slightly, making the two of you groan. 

“Someday, I’ll fuck you so full of my cum you’ll end up swollen with my child.” he promised you. 

“Like you haven’t already.” you panted. His hand ran over your hip where your contraceptive implant lay just beneath your skin, reminding you that you were both safe and protected.

“Not like I want. I want to take you on every surface in the  _ Crest _ . I want to fuck you so hard, you only remember my name.”

“I don’t know your name.” you huffed playfully, not taking his comment to heart. He would - hopefully - share his name with you someday in the future when he felt ready to share that with you. 

One of your hands moved down to grab at his left hand, and brought it upwards into the dim light that was provided by the console buttons. A bullseye tattoo rested in between Mando’s forefinger and thumb. Your own thumb ghosted over the tattoo, gently feeling the ridges on his hand where the ink had absorbed into his tanned skin. You wondered if it had some hidden meaning to it, or if he had just gotten it on a whim or if he had done this himself. 

“How have I never noticed this?” you questioned him, before bringing his tattooed hand up to your face, where you kissed his tattoo. Mando hummed beneath you, enjoying and savoring the way your lips feel against his skin. 

“Maybe I should get a tattoo.” you mused out loud. 

“Only if I get to pick the design.” Mando told you as he threaded his fingers through yours, giving your hand a firm but gentle squeeze.    
“Deal.” you told him with a small laugh. 

*

The Child’s soft snores lulled through the air as he slept in his pod, while the Mandalorian piloted the ship and worked on repairing a few faulty wires he had not gotten around to fixing when they had landed on Hoth all those months ago. The Jedi sat behind the Mandalorian in her own chair, eyes closed and her knees bent at odd angles to fit comfortably while seated. Her mind was peacefully blank as the hum of the  _ Razor Crest _ droned on and on in the background. 

Several weeks had passed since helping Ran’s crew of criminals break Qin out of a New Republic prison, and no matter how far the  _ Razor Crest _ flew, there was never enough space between them and that awful prison ship. 

“My friend, if you are receiving this transmission that means you are alive.” spoke Greef Karga as his holoprojection came in and began to play. Your eyes flew open, the interruption from the Guild’s leader ruined your meditation. Watching his little blue projection, you saw him place his hands on his hips, and from what you could see he looked remarkably healthy and alive. 

“You might be surprised to hear this but I am alive too. I guess we can call it even.” Karga said. You watched as he flickered in and out, the connection this far out in deep space was shotty at best. You could still feel the cold steel of the gun Karga pressed into your spine when you had tried to escape Nevarro all those moons ago. 

“A lot had happened since we last saw each other. The man who hired you is still here, and his ranks of ex-Imperial guards have grown. They have imposed despotic rule over my city, which has impeded the livelihood of the Guild. We consider him an enemy, but we cannot get close enough to take him out. If you would consider one last commission, I will very much make it worth your while. You have been successful so far in staving off their hunters, but they will not stop until they have their prize.” 

You couldn’t help but glance over at the Child, still sound asleep after running around all morning through the hull of the  _ Crest _ with you hot on his heels. You knew the Empire was hunting down the Kid, and that you were a mere second thought when it came to being hunted and stalked across parsecs and planets. You knew the Empire was targeting you because you had been close and were still very close to the Child. How many years was the Child on Arvala-7 with you? Did they know about you and your connection to the Force thanks to the Child and knowing his location? Or did they know about you because of another reason? The Kid could have been there for years for all you know, and perhaps you’d never get a solid answer to any or all of the questions you had.

“So here is my proposition. Return to Nevarro. Bring the Child and the Girl as bait. I will arrange an exchange, and provide loyal Guild members as protection. Once we get near the Client, you kill him. And we both get what we want. If you succeed, you keep the Child and the Girl and I will have your name cleared with the Guild; for a man of honor should not be forced to live in exile. I await your arrival with optimism.” Karga said, before reaching forwards to end the transmission. His tiny blue holographic body disappeared, leaving the cockpit silent once again. 

Mando’s fist collided angrily with a switch, which reflected how you felt about this whole situation. Nothing good could come from this. It had to be a trap. Mando swiveled slightly in his chair, turning back to look at the Kid. You stayed silent, letting him decide what he wanted to do. 

As much as you wanted to have a say in this, it was not up to you. Before all of this - before you’d fallen in love with a man, whose face you’ve never seen before - bounty hunting and the Guild were Mando’s life. It was - you assumed - how he provided for himself, and for the other Mandalorians who had helped aid you when you escaped Nevarro. You couldn’t be the one who stopped Mando from doing what he wanted or needed to do. Living in exile because he had a change of heart was not something you could live with. 

Mando’s hands moved over various buttons and switches as he typed coordinates into the navigator. The  _ Razor Crest _ banked to the right, and then jumped into hyperspace. The beautiful blue swirling vortex of hyperspace demanded your attention, at least for a little bit. No matter how many times you had seen hyperspace, you could always see the beauty that lay in it, completely bare for your eyes to drink in and savor. 

“Are we really going?” you asked him, several minutes later. 

“We’re making a few stops before we go to Nevarro.” he told you. 

“I assume you have a plan?” 

Mando hesitated for a second before tilting his head back at you. “I’m working on it.” 

You stared at the side of his helmet, the sharp cut in the helmet that represents his cheek flashed every now and again in the dazzling light of hyperspace. Your heart squeezed in your chest, and a little  _ “oh no.” _ echoed through you. 

“This is not going to be good is it?”

“It’ll be fine  _ cyar’ika _ .” he replied. 

“Someday I’ll get you to tell me what that one means.” you huffed playfully, trying to distract yourself from what lay ahead in all of your futures. Mando shifted so his entire upper body could look back at you, and you could only imagine the look he had plastered on his face underneath the helmet. Probably one giving you a playfully disapproving look. You laughed quietly, being careful not to wake the Child, and readjusted your crossed legs. 

“Where are we going?” you questioned him as you closed your eyes again. 

“Sorgan.” he replied. You smiled at the thought of seeing that beautifully green planet and the dangerously beautiful Carasynthia Dune again. And your heart fluttered in excitement - maybe if you were there for long enough you could see Baz again. In the months you had been gone, you’d come to miss him and had something very important to give him. 

*

Stepping inside the cantina, you couldn’t help but remember the last time you were here. You had been recovering from a nasty blaster wound, and were high off of off-the-market bacta. And after meeting Cara, Mando had changed his mind about leaving you here on Sorgan - even after he told you he wanted you off his ship. 

So many things were different now. 

Now, you watched as Cara gained the upper hand at beating the shit out of a Zabrak. Wrapping the laser tether around the Zabrak’s throat, you watched as he tapped out, making Cara the winner of their little match.

“Pay up mudscuffers!” Cara declared as she relished in her win. Her deep blue and teal aura glowed brighter around her as she filled with excitement and pride. Several patrons within the common house came forward to pay Cara, and you couldn’t help but smile. You had missed her. As the crowd cleared, you and Mando approached her, and it was clear she was surprised but happy to see the two of you as the Kid trailed behind you. 

“Looking for some work?” Mando asked, impressed but not surprised that she won that fight. The Zabrak should have known better.

Cara said nothing as she walked to a table near the bar, and set her credits down. Mando followed after her, as you stopped at the bar to order a pitcher of spotchka to celebrate Cara’s win. You leant against the bar, and watched them as Mando began to explain what kind of job he had for her.

You poured spotchka into a cup for Cara and yourself to drink. You were going to pour one for Mando, completely forgetting for a moment that he couldn’t remove his helmet in front of you to drink the beverage. And you weren’t about to give the Kid an alcoholic drink. He might have been 50 years old, but giving a toddler alcohol was definitely frowned upon in every corner of the galaxy. 

“It’s a pretty straightforward operation.” Mando said as you sat down between them. “They’re providing the plan and fire power. I’m the snare.”

“With the Kid?” Cara asked after lowering her cup of spotchka from her lips. “And her?” 

“That’s why I’m coming to you.” Mando said. 

“I don’t know. I’ve been advised to lay low. If anybody runs my chain code, I’ll rot in a cell for the rest of my life.” 

“I thought you were a veteran?” Mando questioned, just as the Zabrak that Cara beat walked by and gave her the credits he owed her. Your eyes followed the Zabrak as he approached and left. He roughly dropped the credits on the table, pissed about being beaten, and by a woman no less. 

“Come back soon.” Cara said, almost sweetly. You looked down at the Child, and watched as his little three fingered hand reached outwards for a credit, but couldn’t quite get it. It’s  _ just _ out of reach for him, and it made you smile. It was such an innocent interaction, and you hoped that if this plan worked, then the Kid would get to have more innocent interactions without having to live his life on the run.

“I’ve been a lot of things since. Most of them carry a life sentence. If I so much as book passage on a ship registered to the New Republic I’m…”    
“I have a ship. I can bring you there and back with a handsome reward.” Mando said. Cara’s eyes flickered over to you, hoping you were the reward, and you knew what she was doing. She was trying to tease and rile the Mandalorian up - especially after the last time the two of you were here on Sorgan and Mando had accused Cara for sleeping with you when she had really saved your life. 

“You can live free of worry.” 

“I’m already free of worry. And I’m not in the mood to play soldier anymore. Especially fighting some local warlord.” Cara replied, holding onto her cup of spotchka. You hadn’t even touched yours. Coming back to Sorgan to recruit Cara had been for nothing. You needed her help on this. 

“He’s not a local warlord.” Mando stated, his voice serious. “He’s Imperial.” 

Cara’s expression shifted, and faster than you could think, she changed her mind. “I’m in.” 

Your attention was called away from the conversation before you and towards the entrance of the cantina, and just as your eyes settled on the curtain keeping the front entrance covered, it was thrown open and a familiar head of messy brown hair was coming into view.    
His dark smokey quartz colored eyes rapidly scanned the crowd inside the common house, before settling on you. A bright smile broke out across his face, and his maroon cloud-like aura grew larger and brighter the longer he looked in your direction.

You darted off of your chair, and dashed across the creaky floorboards to get to him. He moved and met you halfway, his arms wrapping around your middle. You laughed as he picked you up and spun you around and around in the middle of the cantina. You felt a dozen eyes on the two of you as you embraced, but you couldn’t care. You’d missed him. 

“ _ Master! _ ” Baz smiled at you, teasing you with the old nickname he’d used with you when you were in his village when you taught the younglings how to use lightsaber-sticks. 

“Hello  _ padawan _ .” you smiled at him as he set you down, and you pulled back to look at him. 

Baz had grown in the few short months you have been gone. He was taller - if that were even possible - and he had gained more muscle, and had better clothes that actually fit him. He no longer looked like a kid, but more like a man. Pride surged through you as you looked at him. He’d been so crestfallen when you had left last time. 

“I felt you. Your aura - I - I was on my way back to our village when I felt you.” Baz panted, clearly out of breath from running back to the cantina from wherever he had been. 

“I had to see you,” he admitted. In the few weeks you’d lived on Sorgan with Baz in the hut he shared with his aunt and uncle and cousins, the two of you had grown close as friends. And Baz’s interest and connection to the Force helped strengthen your bond together. 

“I have a gift for you.” you told him, stepping backwards to reach into the small rucksack you lived out of. Reaching into the very bottom, where a few spare credits and random bits were, your fingers wrapped around the smooth object you had purchased on Takodana. 

_ When the Mandalorian had given you credits to buy food for yourself and the Kid, you had passed one of the many mercantiles in front of the Pirate Queen’s castle. You had admired the beautiful auras of vibrant yellows and oranges floating in the air above the marketplace, giving you a sense of ease in such an unfamiliar environment. When you had purchased the birthday cake mix you had made for yourself and the Kid for your birthday, you had passed a stall with a dozen various gems, jewelry and pretty stones. You were just passing by, merely browsing when an opaque silver gemstone caught your eye. It looked and felt familiar, reminding you of Baz the moment you touched it.  _

You pulled the gemstone from your bag, and uncurling your fist, presented your gift to Baz. 

The  _ kyber crystal _ in your hand practically sang when it became aware of Baz’s presence. It was rare but not unheard of for Master’s to present their apprentices or padawans a  _ kyber crystal _ if they thought the crystal would match and benefit the person receiving it. As soon as your eyes landed on the  _ kyber crystal _ , you knew it belonged with Baz. 

“Is that...?” Baz asked, looking from your palm to your face. 

“It’s a  _ kyber crystal _ , yes. It can be yours if you want it.” you told him. 

Baz slowly reached outwards, and picked up the crystal. His face lit up with awe and adoration as he studied the gem. Together you watched as the gem began to turn a slightly pinkish maroon color as it began to absorb and bond with Baz’s aura. You couldn’t contain the smile that spread across your face, watching as Baz bonded with his  _ kyber crystal _ . It was different, seeing it from this angle as a Master. You had only seen a bond forming between padawan and  _ kyber crystal _ when you were an apprentice. Seeing it from this angle was different and incredibly humbling. 

“What does this mean?” Baz questioned you. 

“I can’t train you Baz, now is not the right time. There are things I must take care of before I can do anything else. You are incredibly proficient in the Force, and I think you could make an incredible Knight.” you told him, making sure to keep your voice quiet just in case there were eavesdropping ears in your conversation. 

“I’ll wait.” Baz said, eagerness full in his voice. Baz curled his fingers around the  _ kyber crystal _ and held it close to his chest, protecting it. 

You glanced over your shoulder at Mando, Cara and the Child. Mando’s gaze was turned on you and Baz, making sure you were okay. With a soft smile, you turned back to Baz. This stop on Sorgan was only that, a stop. You had to get moving if you wanted to clear Mando’s tarnished name from the Guild and travel the galaxy without the threat of someone trying to come after the Kid. 

“We have to leave… keep that safe.” you told Baz, looking up at him. 

Baz’s face fell slightly at the mention of you having to leave so quickly, but he understood. “Is it because of the little green guy?” He questioned as his eyes settled on the Child behind you. 

“We have a chance to eradicate the bounty on his head for good.” 

Baz looked down at you again, his eyes burning bright. He wrapped you in a hug one more time, keeping you pressed against his chest. He pressed a kiss to your temple before muttering words into your hair. 

“I didn’t hear what you said Baz.” you laughed against his shoulder. 

“I said I’d wait.” Baz declared again. 

“You might be waiting a long time.” You warned him.

“Being trained by you is something worth waiting for.” 

You’re not sure where Baz had been all your life, but you were thankful he was in it now. When you pulled away, you looked up at him as you pointed to the  _ kyber crystal _ . “Meditate everyday for as long as you want, focus on the Force.” 

Baz nodded, ready to accept the guidance you were giving him, passing down knowledge from Master to padawan.    
“Remember,  _ The Force is with you, and you are one with the Force.”  _ you repeated Chirrut Îmwe’s words. They had helped you in your times of need, and would be good at guiding Baz as he began his journey. 

“ _ Cyare _ .” Mando called out from behind you. He didn’t want to interrupt your time with Baz. He didn’t want to take you away from him, when he made you so happy. Mando could see how much you craved having someone closer to your age, someone who knew a bit more about the special powers you had. But in order to make sure you could return to Sorgan, he had to take you away to deal with the problems the two of you had created months ago. But once those problems were taken care of, you would be free to return to Sorgan to see Baz whenever you wanted. 

Turning back to Baz, you gave him another hug. You kept it brief, not wanting to linger and get too emotional about having to leave him behind again. 

“Until we meet again  _ padawan _ .” you told him, silently promising him that if you returned to Sorgan, he would be by your side as your padawan. 

“Until then  _ Master _ .” Baz promised, unable to keep his face neutral. He was incredibly excited and humbled that you’d returned to choose him as your padawan, that you’d found him a  _ kyber crystal _ while on your travels with the Mandalorian. Baz vowed then and there that he would not disappoint you, and that when you returned you would be incredibly impressed with how much he had learned and grown. 

You followed Cara and the Mandalorian out of the common house, and back toward the  _ Razor Crest _ with a new flame burning in your heart. 

*

Cara and Mando dropped down into the hull of the ship, and nearly startled you as you came out of your bedroom. Pushing the curtain aside, you watched as Mando opened the small armory that Mando had next to your bedroom - which used to be a storage closet. 

“Is he all right up there alone?” Cara questioned Mando. 

“Yeah.” Mando replied, stepping away from the weapons cache. 

You watched as Cara eyed all the weapons that Mando had, and you could tell she was impressed and enamored with all the different kinds of weapons he had aboard his ship. 

“Pick one.” Mando told her as she stepped closer to get a better look at all he had to offer. Cara picked up a grenade and shook it slightly before bringing it to her ear. You watched with curious eyes as she inspected the device. It made you curious about the other weapons that you had at your disposal, and it made you a little self conscious. You’d only been adequately trained with a blaster and your lightsaber, and had never needed to know more than the brief basics of how other weapons functioned. Maybe you would change that in the future with the Mandalorian’s help. 

Cara set the grenade down on the Mandalorian’s open bunk, right before you. “Do you trust the contact?” 

“Not particularly.” Mando replied, watching as Cara picked out a smaller gun, one you had no idea about what it did. “He and I had a run in the last time I was there on some Guild business.” 

Cara looked up from the gun in her hands and at Mando leaning against the wall, where his visor was trained on you. Cara turned around and followed his gaze, watching as you lowered your eyes, no longer being able to hold either of their gazes. She knew you and the Child were the reason Mando couldn’t return to Nevarro without risking everything. You still felt guilty for what transpired on Nevarro. You and the Mandalorian took out a lot of Guild members as you made your escape with the Child. 

“So then why are we going?” Cara questioned him before returning to inspect another gun from the rack. 

“I don’t have a choice. You saw what happened on Sorgan. They’ll keep sending hunters. The Kid will never be safe until the Imp is dead.” Mando said. 

“A life on the run is not something you deserve.” Mando added, directing his voice at you. You took your eyes off the ground and looked at him, a soft and thankful smile rested on your lips. 

“And you’re okay with bringing him back there?” 

“Not really, that’s why I’m bringing you.” Mando said. 

The ship tilted violently to one side, sending everyone into the wall, and your face nearly collided with the ladder leading up to the cockpit. Mando steadied you before he rapidly ascended the ladder, with you and Cara following right behind him. You struggled to keep your feet planted on the ground as you tumbled into the cockpit. Mando grabbed the Kid from the pilot's seat, and removed his tiny hands from the control stick, before passing him off to you. You fumbled with the Kid, clutching him to your chest as Mando rapidly and frantically pressed buttons and tried to steady out the  _ Crest _ . 

You passed Cara the Kid, who placed him in his bassinet as the  _ Crest _ stopped beeping and trembling as it shuddered through space. You pant out a sigh as you gripped the edge of Mando’s chair, trying to get your head to stop spinning. 

“We need someone to watch that thing.” Cara declared. 

“Yeah.” Mando agreed. With the plan he had concocted with Cara, he needed you with him in order to make sure the Kid was safe. Sure he was using you for bait in this plan, but he didn’t see another way around this. And if things went according to plan then all would be good. 

“You got anyone you can trust?” Cara questioned. 

Your first thought had been of Omera - she was skilled with a weapon and loved the Kid, but she had her daughter Winta to think about, and if things didn't go according to plan you would leave Winta an orphan, and you were not about to do that, plus you’d already left Sorgan. You needed someone Mando trusted enough, and was skilled enough with a weapon. Peli Motto was also out of the question - she was better as a mechanic, and Tatooine was too far away to get to and back in a reasonable amount of time. 

“What about Kuiil?” you piped up, the world no longer spinning. 

“Who?” Cara questioned, just as Mando said: “That might just work.” 

“He’s an old friend, and my most recent employer.” you told her.

“How long were you in his employment for?” Cara questioned you as she settled in the only other chair in the cockpit. You didn’t mind, you could lean against the console, or even sit on the floor if you had to. 

“About 5 years.” you answered her as you leaned against the console and looked down at the Kid. He stared up at you with large glassy doe eyes. You knew Cara was just trying to pass time with friendly conversation, and you knew that Cara didn’t know about your past and all the things that had brought you out to Arvala-7. 

“That’s a long time.” she mused before continuing, “What brought you out there?”    
“The man I loved died on Scarif.” you told her as you reached a hand out towards the Child. He wrapped his three little fingers around your forefinger, and squeezed. Your eyes dropped to the floor of the cockpit, focusing on your boots. 

You’re not sure who was responsible - you suspected the Kid - but your mind was suddenly full of memories of your short time with Cassian when he was still alive. You could see your first meeting with him, the first time you kissed him. The last time you kissed him before you boarded the spacecraft to take you to Coruscant. You could see brief, naughty images of memories the Child should not have seen, and you could feel just how much you loved and missed him. 

Heavy, unsettled silence filled the cockpit of the  _ Crest. _ Cara’s face was riddled with shock and guilt, and she was unsure how to apologize for bringing up such painful memories. Mando’s fist curled tightly around the joystick that piloted the  _ Crest _ . He was jealous, and he knew he shouldn’t be. The man you lost had died taking down the Empire - he had given up everything for something he believed so strongly in. If anything, Din should have been inspired by the man who you used to love so dearly. 

But Din was pissed that the galaxy that had been so cruel to you, when you had done nothing to deserve such a merciless fate. You had once told him in the dead of night while on Sorgan that you wanted to give him the world, and Din wanted nothing more than to give you the world and more in return. 

“He knew Kuiil, and after Kuiil heard of Cassian’s death… he offered me a place on his moisture farm. After he died, I lost my way.” you said, your thoughts a little cloudy.

You looked up from the floor and towards Mando, hoping he’d understood what you were silently telling him. That  _ he _ had re-sparked your interest in life, in living, in wanting to find love again. 

**_He was your new Way_ ** . 

“I’m sorry you lost someone so close to you.” Cara apologized, her own feelings of losing those she’d lost on Alderaan bubbled to the surface of her mind. 

“Thank you.” you told her, looking back down at the Child. His fingers were still wrapped around yours, making your heart melt at the loving gesture he displayed. 

“I know more about blurrg than I care to admit. Far too much about how they mate, and why they eat the males after sex.” you spoke, trying to break the tension in the air. It was a long ride until you reached Arvala-7, and if the air was going to be tense the entire way there, then things were going to be awkward when you arrived. And that was not something you wanted when you arrived back on Arvala-7. 

“Don’t remind me.” Mando grumbled from the pilot’s seat, still bitter over the fact that he’d been thrown several times from the blurrg he had tried to ride when he first landed on the planet. 

The Kid laughed, as if he knew what Mando was saying, which caused you all to laugh as well. And suddenly the sad and tense feeling disappeared, as if they’d never manifested in the first place. 

*

Sitting inside Kuiil’s hut, you couldn’t help but reminisce about the last time you were here - when you first met the Mandalorian and the Child - where your journey began. 

“It hasn’t grown much.” Kuiil commented, looking from the Child to you and Mando. 

“I think it might be a Strand-Cast.” Mando said. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at Mando’s comment. The Kid might be genetically engineered but you doubted it. He’s got too much personality and you’ve only ever met one other being like him in the entire galaxy. You’ve suspected for a while now that the Child belonged to a race of beings that had become nearly extinct over the course of a millenia. 

“I don’t think it was engineered.” Kuiil said. “I worked in the gene farms. This one looks too evolved. Too ugly.” 

You gawked at Kuiil’s words, and barely kept your laughter contained. Of course the Kid was ugly, but in a cute way, one you wouldn’t really describe unless looking at the little guy. And sometimes when you stared at the Kid for too long, you had an undeniable urge to punch something, which you had looked up on a datapad because you thought something was wrong with you. Wanting to punch something so cute was known as cute-aggression. Cute aggression was the brain's way of coping with the overwhelming response that occurs when two powerful brain systems are triggered at the same moment.

“This one on the other hand, looks like she was farmed in the Cytocaves of Nora.” Kuiil said, gesturing to Cara who sat besides you. 

“This is Cara Dune. She was a shock trooper.” Mando said. 

“You were a dropper.” Kuiil pointed out, gesturing to the tattoo band around her arm. 

“Did you serve?” Cara asked, and you could hear something in her tone. 

“On the other side, I’m afraid.” Kuiil said as he sat down. “But I’m proud to say that I paid out my clan’s debt, and now I serve no one but myself.” 

An incredibly tall droid - an IG assassin droid - carrying a tray crouched down to step through the doorway. Your eyes widened as you drew and ignited your lightsaber, ready to defend the Child. Cara and Mando stood just as quickly, their own weapons already drawn and pointed at the droid in question. 

“Would anyone care for some tea?” spoke the droid. 

“Please, lower your blasters. He will not harm you.” Kuiil said, raising his hand to calm the situation. 

“That  _ thing _ is programmed to kill the baby.” Mando argued.

“Not anymore.” 

The droid lowered the tray of four steaming cups of tea to the table next to Kuiil, as he began to explain how he came to be in possession of the droid. Cara and Mando lowered their blasters as you de-ignited your lightsaber and sat back down. 

“It was left behind in the wake of your destruction. I found it lying where it fell. Devoid of all life. I recovered the flotsam and staked it as my own in accordance to the Charter of the New Republic.” 

“Little remained of its neural harness. Reconstruction was quite difficult… but not impossible.” Kuiil said look at you, giving you a wink. 

“It had to learn everything from scratch. This is something that cannot be taught with the twist of a spanner. It requires patience and repetition. I spent day after day reinforcing its development with patience and affirmation. It developed a personality as its experiences grew.”

You watched as the IG droid picked up the steaming tea pitcher, and poured the liquid into one of the four cups it had brought into the hut for you all. 

“Is it still a hunter?” Mando asked, not quite convinced that the IG unit wasn’t still programmed to kill the Kid. 

“No, but it will protect.” 

The IG unit held out a piping hot cup towards the Mandalorian. “Tea?” 

Cara grabbed the cup before Mando could do anything. Mando sighed heavily as he looked distastefully at the droid in front of him, that wanted to kill the Child not long ago. That droid was going nowhere near the Child. 

Kuiil and Mando had stepped out of the hut for a moment, leaving you, Cara and the Child alone with the IG unit. 

You stared at the droid, trying to get any kind of read on it. But it’s metallic parts were only that - metal and wires. Not flesh and bone. You side-eyed Cara, who stared straight ahead at the IG unit, her facial expressions reflecting how you and the Mandalorian felt. She did not trust the droid either.

Kuiil returned to the hut a moment later, and began to gather the few things he would need to join you on your impossible task. You gathered the Kid up, and with a wave of your hand sent his pram floating through the air back towards the  _ Razor Crest _ as Cara followed you out of the hut. 

It took a couple of minutes for the blurrg to remember and trust you again, but once they recognized your scent they followed you faithfully into the hull of the  _ Crest _ . And minutes later, the  _ Razor Crest  _ ascended through the atmosphere and traversed the stars, making steady headway towards Nevarro. 

*

Everyone was down in the hull of the ship, where Kuiil tended to the three blurrgs he brought aboard. You sat near Cara, the Child and Mando, watching as the two of them engaged in an arm wrestling contest. 

“Winner gets a thousand credits.” you challenged them.

“Deal.” they both replied before placing their arms on the table, and began.

“I got you, Mando.” Cara grunted after a few tense minutes of watching them battle. 

“Care to double the bet?” Mando taunted her, grunting as he struggled to keep his arm steady on the table. 

You watched as Cara suddenly released Mando’s hand, and desperately grabbed at her throat, and pulled at something that wasn’t there. Mando stared at her, confused and caught off guard, while you focused on her facial expressions and her darkening panicked aura. Mando looked down at the Kid, before doing a double take and jumped towards the Child. Pulling the Kid out of his pram, Mando frantically began to scold him. 

“No! No, no. Stop!” he said as the Child squeaked. 

Cara gasped as her airways were unrestricted, and fell forwards slightly. You moved to her side, and gently pressed your hand against her neck, checking to see if she was injured in any way. 

“We’re friends. We’re friends. Cara is my friend!” Mando said. Your eyes cut across the table to look at the Kid in Mando’s hands, his little green face riddled with confusion and guilt, with his hand still stretched outwards from where he had force choked Cara. 

“That is not okay!” Cara stated, brushing you off of her. 

“Hmm. Very curious.” Kuiil commented. 

“Curious? It almost killed me!” Cara snapped at him. 

“The story you told me of the Mudhorn now makes more sense.” 

“What is it?” Mando questioned him, keeping his gaze on the Kid. 

“What it is, I don’t know. But what it does, this… this I have heard rumors of.” Kuiil says, looking over at you. 

In the 5 years you had worked for Kuiil and lived on Arvala-7, you rarely spoke of your powers and your connection to the Force, and made sure to only use your powers in special situations. Kuiil - in the first few weeks of living with him - had suspected you were related to the rumors he had heard during his servitude to the Empire. He had asked you about the lightsaber you carried with you, and you had told him only what he needed to know, and nothing else. The less he knew the safer he would be in the end if someone came after you, like they had come after your Master. 

“What? When you worked for the Empire?” Cara snapped again, tension in the hull rose rapidly.

“When I was sold to the Empire, in indentured servitude.” Kuiil corrected her.

“Yet somehow, you walk free.” Cara said, rising to her feet.

“I bought my freedom through the skill of my hands and the labor of three of your human lifetimes.” Kuiil stated, as IG-11 came closer to him, ready to protect the being that had reconstructed him. 

“Do not cast doubt upon that of what I am nor whom I shall serve.” 

“Tell you what,” Mando said, breaking the tension that hung in the air “I could really use your craftwork right now.” 

“Can you pad this container so the Child can sleep better?” Mando asked as he laid the Kid down in the pram. Kuill laid his hand on the Child’s chest, looking down at the bassinet. 

“I shall fabricate a better one. Then perhaps this Dropper can see how one can win their freedom with the skill of one’s hands.” Kuiil said before moving off to the other side of the ship's hull to begin working on a new pod for the Child. 

“Well that was not according to plan.” you said, scratching the back of your head, the lingering tension still crawling across your skin. 

You followed after Kuiil, ducking your head down when you passed between Mando and Cara, and could feel their eyes on your back the entire time you scurried away from them. 

The Child waddled up behind you, curious about what Kuiil was doing with his pod. Scooping the Child up, and you placed him on one of the many crates inside the hull of the  _ Crest _ , and made sure he had a good view of what you and Kuiil were doing - from a safe distance of course. 

For the remainder of the trip to Nevarro, Mando and Cara stayed up in the cockpit while you, Kuiil and IG-11 remained in the hull, welding and creating a new pram for the Child. At one point you ascended the ladder to ask Mando for his vambrace to reprogram it to control the pram. He gingerly removed it from his arm and passed it back to you with a trusting nod of his head. It only took a couple of minutes for you to rewire and reprogram his vambrace, and when you returned it to the Mandalorian, his fingers brushed against yours, and lingered longer than necessary but you didn’t mind. 

You would never mind his fingers on your skin. In fact, you would always welcome his touch or any affection that he would give you. 

*

Descending through the atmosphere to land on Nevarro’s soil didn’t take very long, and as the  _ Razor Crest _ touched down in the middle of the lava plains - the rendezvous spot Karga had insisted upon - you helped mount up the blurrgs, and got them ready to exit the hull of the  _ Crest _ . 

You sat behind Cara on top of one of the three blurrgs as they descended the ramp, and stepped onto the rough and rocky soil of Nevarro. The four of you stopped in front of Karga and the three Guild members he had brought along. 

You studied them all, watching their auras float around them - dull gray dots for the human, a strange wavy green aura accompanying the Nikto, and muted browns resembling the pleated lines on his armor accompanied the Trandoshan. And Greef Karga’s aura was fascinating to look at. It was a strange yet beautiful swirled mixture of a reddish maroon color paired with spots of metallic black and deep golds. You’d only ever seen a few people with multicolored auras before. 

“Sorry for the remote rendezvous, Mando, but things have gotten complicated since you were last here.” Karga said, looking from the Mandalorian to you. “It appears that introductions are in order. It seems we’ve both provided a security detail. I recommend the shock trooper guards the ship. These lava fields are lousy with Jawas.”

“She’s coming with me.” Mando stated. 

“But the town is now run by ex-Empire. If a Rebel Dropper is with us, they’ll all get their hackles up.” Karga tried to protest.

“She’s coming.” Mando reiterated, leaving no room for Karga to protest anymore. 

“Fine.” Karga said, his voice full of irritation. But then his tone changed, which made you more suspicious of him. “Fine.” 

“At least cover your tattoo. No need to flaunt it. Now, where is the little one? I can see your girlfriend is looking good, and adequately dressed.” Karga said. 

Cara scoffed in front of you, and you copied her as Karga rudely mentioned and reminded you that the last time he had seen you was when you were clothed in nothing but a flimsy hospital gown that was most definitely not your size. 

The new bassinet that Kuiil had constructed with your help moved forwards at the push of a button on Mando’s vambrace. You watched as the pram hissed open, and revealed the Child to the Guild’s leader. Karga stepped forwards, and reached into the cot, picking the Kid up to get a better look at him. Your hand hovered over the blaster at your side, tensions rose in the air as everyone readjusted their grips on their own weapons. 

“So this little bogwing is what all the fuss was about.” Karga mused. “What a precious little creature. I can see why you didn’t want to harm a hair on its wrinkled little head.” 

As Karga placed the Kid back in his cot, your shoulders relaxed and your hand slowly moved away from your blaster. And everyone around you followed suit. 

“Well, I’m glad this matter will be put to rest once and for all. The sun drops fast on Nevarro. We can walk for a spell, camp out at the riverbank, then make our way into town at first light.” Karga said, laying out the plan for you all. 

As you walk, you couldn’t help but replay and analyze Karga’s words, and how he said them. Something just felt off about what he said, and you couldn’t quite pin down what you thought was wrong. 

When the sun sank below the horizon, the lava fields came alive with a deep, profound beauty you had never seen before. The lava that cracked and oozed out of the ground was mesmerizingly beautiful among the blackened earth you walked over for quite a long time. 

Settling down for the night, you ate the four-legged creature that the Nikto had brought down and roasted over a fire. Everyone was weary of one another, not fully trusting one another. If no one got any sleep tonight, you were sure come morning tempers would flare and patiences would wear thin. You sat on the hard ground between Cara and Kuiil, watching as Kuiil fed the Child some of the creature that had been cooked. You had offered to feed him, but Kuiil declined and you suspected he liked caring for the little baby. 

“I guess the little bugger is a carnivore.” Karga said, pointing at the Kid. “Never seen anything like it. They were ready to pay a king’s ransom for that thing - and her. Must be for some highfalutin menagerie.” 

“Let’s go over the plan again.” Mando said, steering the conversation away from you and the Child. 

“We both enter the common house. We show the client the bait,” Karga said, pointing vaguely towards the Child and you before continuing to rattle off the plan. “We join him at the table, and you kill him.” 

“Tell me about his reinforcements.” 

“They’re all ex-Empire. As soon as they lose their paycheck - poof - they’ll all scatter.”

“And what if they don’t?” Mando questioned him.

“They will.”

“That’s not good enough.” 

“If, for argument's sake, a few of them don’t realize that I’m their best path to alternative employment and they elect to react impulsively, then these three fine Guild hunters, along with the battle-hardened shock trooper, will cut down anyone who bucks.” Karga said. You don’t even feel offended that Karga left you out of the plan - he hadn’t really seen you fight before, and when he had seen you fight your way to the  _ Crest _ when Mando had first rescued you, Mando had done most of the fighting and killing anyway, you’d been too drugged up to fight properly. 

“How many will there be?” 

“No more than four.” Karga sighed as he stood up and moved towards the roasting creature still above the campfire that had been made. “He travels with, at most, a Fire Team. Trust me. Nothing can go wrong.” 

It happened before your eyes could truly adjust to the dark - a large winged creature swooped down and attacked Karga, who screamed as the creature's teeth sank and ripped into his flesh. You jumped to your feet and drew your blaster and shot blindly into the air. 

Everyone drew their weapons as they too scrambled to their feet and began to defend camp. The creatures that attacked you screeched when a blaster shot hit them, but every hit seemed to make them angrier, making them attack you harder and faster. Over their screeches and everyone’s frightened cries, you heard the bassinet close, keeping the Child from harm. In the dark, a creature swooped down and sank its claws into your tunic, hauling you backwards before dropping you roughly to the rocks beneath you. As you rolled into a crouched position, the same creature that grabbed you took off with the Trandoshan in its claws - and it made you realize that that could have been you getting hauled off into the sky to be eaten alive. 

You scrambled back towards the campfire, no longer wanting to be alone in no man’s land. The other creatures swoop and dive at the blurrg, jabbing their talons into one of them and hauled them off into the sky. You could hear Kuiil shouting at the vicious winged creature to let the female blurrg go, but the creature didn’t listen and made off with one of the blurrgs. In the chaos, Cara let loose with the automatic gatling gun she had, and managed to take down the next creature that attacked the tied up blurrg. 

Your head whipped around when you heard Mando groan, watching as a creature attacked him and dragged him across the ground. Your hands and body moved faster than your mind could, already unclipping and igniting your lightsaber as you ran at the creature. You ignited the lightsaber, and let it fly toward the creature, where your blade sliced and shredded the creature's leathery wings, before using the Force to call the blade back into your hand. Mando struggled to his knees, and shoved his gauntlet at the creature, letting his flamethrower fight off the creature attacking him. 

Cara continued to lay waste to the creatures even as they fled into the night, taking the clear hint that they weren’t going to get any more free meals out of your little camp. You protectively surrounded the Child, brandishing your weapons as you waited to see if the creatures were truly gone or not. 

When you were sure the skies were clear, and that the creatures were not going to return anytime soon, you all relaxed - just slightly. Mando opened the pod again, checking to make sure the Kid hadn’t been hurt when he wasn’t looking. Karga sank to the ground and looked at his wound, which looked awful in the dim light of the fire. He groaned as poison swept through his veins, moving towards his heart at a rapidly alarming rate. 

You dropped down roughly on your knees next to Karga as Kuiil and Cara came on his other side, and began to inspect his wound. You could see the poison working its way into Karga’s aura, turning it to a sickly yellow-green color, which rapidly began to ooze upwards through Karga’s bloodstream. 

“He’s hurt badly.”

“I’m fine! I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine. Ow!!” Karga tried to protest and act tough, but when you lightly skimmed your fingers over his ripped open flesh to see exactly how much damage had been done, he cried out in pain. 

“Hold still.” Cara ordered him as she dropped to her knees and began rummaging through a medpack for the supplies she needed. 

“They got you good.” Cara commented, as she pulled out a stim shot, and stabbed it into the meat of Karga’s elbow. The medicine began to work, but you could see that he needed more if you wanted to stop the poison from getting to his heart. 

“He needs more, Cara.” you told her, keeping your eyes on the changing aura, watching as it slowly became corrupted. 

“How bad?” Mando asked.

“Bad.” you replied before Cara could answer. She pulled the stim shot from Karga’s arm, and looked back over her shoulder at Mando. 

“The poison’s spreading fast.” 

“So this is how it happens.” Karga commented, groaning in pain. 

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Cara said as she pressed a cloth to his arm, hoping to staunch the bleeding. “I need another medpack! Got any other medpacks? Anyone?” 

The two remaining Guild members behind you shook their heads, silently confirming that there were no other medpacks around to save Karga’s life. The poison traveled down Karga’s arm and consumed his hand, and continued to spread upwards towards his shoulder.

“I’m guessing that’s a no.” 

“It’s still spreading.” you told Cara as she grabbed a scanner and reconfirmed what you’d already told her. 

“This isn’t working.” Cara growled. 

Three familiar little green fingers hovered over Karga’s arm, and you wondered how the Kid got out of his cot so quickly. 

“Get this thing out of here.” Cara reprimanded Mando. 

“Wait.” Kuiil said as you all watched the Kid. 

He placed his hand on Karga’s arm, and left it there as Karga groaned and cried out: “He’s trying to eat me.” 

You watched as the Child narrowed his eyes and focused all of his energy into Karga. You could see the Kid’s bright green aura slowing down as he concentrated, and you saw Karga’s own aura of maroon swirls begin to slow down too. The Kid’s aura of green little balls strategically placed themselves along the cuts, and began to merge themselves together, taking Karga’s swirling aura and using its strength to help heal him. Your eyes fell to the slashes on Karga’s arm, and you watched as they slowly began to sew themselves shut.

The Kid began shaking from the strain, and as the cuts finished closing he fell backwards, his energy completely spent. 

Everyone was silent. Awe and shock lingered in the air like a thick perfume, and you could barely contain your excitement. You had never seen someone do that before. Everyone’s eyes fell to you, as if you might have the answers they so desperately sought out. But you couldn’t take your eyes off of the Kid as he sat on the ground, slowly blinking his heavy eyes, trying to fight off the sleep that wanted to take him. 

The two remaining Guild members took first watch after making a sweep of the lands and the sky, making sure there wouldn’t be any more surprise visits in the middle of the night. You settled down next to Mando, who sat directly next to cot where the Kid is asleep. 

The two of you sat in silence, looking at the fire as it continued to burn. From where you’re sitting, you watched Kuiil as he leaned against one of the sleeping blurrg, his head tilted downwards as he too tried to catch some shut eye. 

“Have you... ever done that?” Mando questioned you, hesitating for just a moment in case he insulted you or your beliefs and religion as a Jedi.

“Heal someone?” you questioned him as you tore your eyes away from the fire to look at him. 

“Yes.” he nodded. 

“Not like this.” 

“What about with the Mudhorn. You had said you shared your energy with the baby when he… when he…”

“When he stopped the Mudhorn?” you clarified for him, recalling how your journey began. 

Mando nodded again, and you watched as his helmet and visor reflected the light of the fire, making it seem like he glowed in the dark. 

“What he did… takes quite a lot of training and patience to heal someone like that. When I shared my energy with him, I acted like a stim.” As you spoke, you tried to put what you did into terms that the Mandalorian would understand. 

“With a stim, it’s a chemical mixture targeted towards the adrenal system, in the form of a one-time use shot. It’s injected into the bloodstream in order to provide a boost to the physical capabilities of the user. I just pushed the Kid into recovering from such a daunting task faster than it would have taken to recover naturally.”

Mando’s helmet was trained on you as you spoke, and you could tell he was listening very carefully to every word you said and took the time to explain to him. 

“What he just did… that was nothing short of a miracle. I have never seen that in all my years.” you told him, your eyes looked at the Kid as he slept in between the two of you. 

“When you wake up, you are _ so _ teaching me how to do that.” you half joked with the Kid as you reached out and rubbed the top of his wrinkled forehead. The Kid cooed in his sleep, as if accepting your request for him to train you how to Force heal someone. Curling into yourself, you let your eyes slip closed as you began to meditate, knowing you wouldn’t be getting any sleep after the night you all had had. 

*

Come morning, you awoke before the sun rose over Nevarro, and began the rest of your walk toward Nevarro City. You trailed behind Karga and his crew, lingering just behind Mando and Cara. Karga spoke softly to his comrades, and you had a weird off feeling about it. 

When Nevarro City came into view, you felt tension in the air. The Nikto and the human Guild hunters lingered behind you all as Karga walked to the edge of a plateau, and looked down at Nevarro City with Mando and Cara on either side of him. You stood between them both, standing slightly closer to Mando than to Cara as you came to a stop. 

“I guess this is it.” Karga said wistfully. 

Greef spun around, his blasters drawn and aimed at the Guild members behind you. Their bodies hit the ground before you could even fully draw out your lightsaber. Blinking rapidly, trying to get your mind to process what the hell just happened, Karga held up his blasters showing he meant no harm to you. Your lightsaber hummed to life a moment later, and it was comical how slow all of your reaction times were. Mando kept his weapon trained on Karga as he continued to show his surrender.    
“There’s something you should know.” Karga said. Karga moved between Cara and Mando, and passed you as he lowered his weapons. He moved over the bodies, and kicked away their weapons just in case they weren’t dead. Sparing them a brief glance, you saw their auras are no longer present, confirming that they’re dead. 

“The plan was to kill you and take the Kid and her. But after what happened last night, I couldn’t go through with it.” 

A hard expression was plastered on everyone’s faces. You knew this was a trap, and that Karga had been setting you up since the beginning, but being betrayed still hurt.    
“What? You can gun me down here and now and it wouldn’t violate the Code. But if you do this Child will never be safe. She will never be safe.” 

“We’ll take our chances.” Cara sneered at him. 

“The Imperial Client is obsessed with obtaining this asset - these assets. You tried to run, but where did it get you?” Karga asked, and you realized that he was right. 

You had traversed the galaxy, and here you were back on Nevarro right where this whole thing began. You couldn’t keep running for the rest of your days, time would run out for all of you eventually. 

“This is ridiculous.” Cara stated, looking over at you and Mando. 

“Perhaps you should let him speak.” Kuiil piped up - you hadn’t seen him walk over here. 

“Listen, we both need the Client to be eliminated. Let me take the Child - and her - to him and then you two…”

“No.” Mando cut Karga off. 

“Let’s just kill him and get outta here.” Cara suggested, as she pointed her weapon at Karga more. 

Mando lowered his gun a moment later, coming to the same realization you’d come to. 

“He’s right.” 

“What are you doing?” Cara asked as Mando holstered his blaster, and you de-ignite your lightsaber.

“As long as the Imp lives he’ll send hunters after the Child and Y/N.” 

“It’s a trap.” Cara argued. 

“Everything’s a trap, one way or another.” you commented.

“Bring me.” Mando said, directing his words at Karga. 

“Bring you?” Karga asked, confused.

“Tell him you captured me. Get me close to him and I’ll kill him.” 

“That’s a good idea. Give me your blaster.” Karga said. 

Mando hands it over before you can even begin to protest against this plan. 

“This is insane!” Cara pointed out. 

“It’s the only way.” Mando replied.

“Well I’m coming with you.” Cara said. 

“No, no, no. That would make them suspicious.”

“I don’t care. I’m coming.” Cara snarked. 

“Tell them she caught me.” Mando suggested. 

“Fine. Then she can bring the Child and the Girl.” Karga said. 

“I have a name you know.” you snapped. 

“No. They go back in the ship.” Mando argued. Your head jerked to the side to glare at Mando. You were coming with whether he liked it or not. 

“But without the Child or her, none of this works.”

“I have a plan.” Mando said, before looking at Kuiil. 

“Kuiil, ride back to the _ Razor Crest _ with Y/N and the Child, and seal yourselves in. When you’re inside engage the ground security protocols. Nothing on this planet will breach those doors.” Mando began to explain his plan, before dropping his head down to look at you. 

Kuiil stepped forwards, and offered the Mandalorian something. “Here’s a comlink. I will keep the Child safe.” he vowed before stepping back to look up at Cara. “Don’t forget to cover your stripes.” 

“Let’s go.” Mando said, pulling a pair of stun cuffs from his belt. The same stun cuffs he used on you to restrain you from hurting yourself when he patched you up from your injury on Dulathia. 

“No, wait. Think this through.” you pleaded with Mando as Karga took the cuffs from him. 

Mando turned to you, his visor tilting downwards to get you to look him in the eyes hidden behind the visor. His hands reached out to cradle either side of your face before he gently bonked his forehead against your own. Your hands came to rest against his, and your vision was consumed with his aura. His golden tendrils of light nearly blinded you as his touch tried to reassure you that everything was going to be okay. 

“Don’t leave us. Not like this - please.” you whispered to him. You don’t care that everyone was watching the two of you said your goodbyes. 

“You’ll be okay. Both of you.” Mando promised you. 

“I have a bad feeling about this.” you warned him. Mando bonked his forehead against your own again, a little more forcefully this time, before he stepped back and dropped his hands from your face. “Everything will be fine.” 

Karga slapped the cuffs on Mando’s wrists, and all too soon they were walking towards Nevarro City while you were walking away from them. Your heart ached and your very soul screamed at you to turn around and join them, but you trusted Mando and if you wanted to keep the Kid safe, then you had to do as he’d asked of you. 

*

The ride back across the lava fields wasn’t nearly as pretty as it was last night. The same red hot lava flowed and bubbled and spat from the earth below your feet as you rode back on the blurrg, but everything felt hollow, like something was missing from you. And you know it was the Mandalorian’s presence that you’re missing most in the galaxy right now. 

The trek back to the  _ Crest  _ would only take an hour at most, giving Mando’s plan plenty of time to hopefully work effectively. You couldn’t stop your leg from bouncing as anxiety coarsed through your veins, making your otherwise calm aura seem to vibrate at a nauseating frequency. The Kid whimpered in Kuiil’s arms, agitated and nervous about why you were feeling the way you were. Swallowing, you tried to block yourself from the Kid to help ease his mind. 

“ _ Kuiil are you back to the ship yet? _ ” Mando’s voice crackled over the comlink. You leaned forwards and listened as Mando spoke again. He sounded distressed and nearly panicked. 

“ _ Do you copy? Are you back to the ship yet? _ ” Mando asked again.

“Not yet.” Kuiil answered. 

_ “Get back to the ship and bail. Get the kid out of here. Get Y/N out of here. We’re pinned down! _ ” Mando informed you.

Kuiil dug his heels into the blurrg’s side and urged her to go faster. You wrapped your hands around Kuiil’s pack, and held on as the blurrg began to move faster over the rocky lava plains. 

The  _ Razor Crest’s _ silhouette in the distance did nothing to ease your frayed nerves. Something bad was about to happen. 

You could see the  _ Razor Crest  _ becoming larger and larger, as the blurrg ran harder and faster, trying to get you where you needed to be. The rapid zip and hum of speeder bikes caught your attention, and as you drew your blaster Mando’s voice crackled over the comlink. 

“ _ Kuiil? Are you back to the ship? _ ” 

You flicked your hand at the  _ Razor Crest _ , and with the use of the Force, got the ramp to begin lowering, hoping to get on board as fast as you could. 

“ _ Kuiil? Do you copy? _ ” Mando’s frantic voice came over the comlink again. 

Your body was tossed forwards, being thrown off the blurrg as a sharp, searing pain ripped through your spine and bloomed in your stomach. And as your arms flailed outwards to try and steady yourself, you found yourself stumbling inside the common house where Karga, Mando and Cara were. 

“Kuiil? Do you copy? Kuiil?” Mando shouted quietly into the comlink. 

“Mando!” you gasped, your hands going to your stomach where something burned and clung to you with a white-hot iron grip. When you dropped your hands away from your white tunic, there was nothing there to suggest you had been injured at all. 

Everyone rapidly turned to look at you, with their weapons raised, as you stood near the side entrance to the cantina. Your eyes locked on Mando’s helmet as you froze. 

How the hell were you here? 


	10. Chapter 9: The Way of the Force

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: The Child, the Jedi and the Mandalorian come to know their true enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: canon violence, major character deaths, angst, feelings, misuse of the Force/force powers  
> A/N: this is the end, come cry with me.  
> Word Count: 12,853 words  
> next installment (coming soon)
> 
> Thank you for being on this journey with me. If you made it this far, thank you for giving my silly little fic a read. It means more to me than you know. Completing a story like this... i've never wanted anything more. Thank you again, and enjoy!

The  _ kyber crystal _ felt heavy in Baz Javrevad’s palm as he walked down the worn dirt path, leading back to his tiny village on what felt like the other side of the planet Sorgan. Twisting the gem in the air, letting the sunlight filter through it, Baz could see veins of his specific aura color - a magenta tinged maroon - run through the inside of the crystal. It was strange to see his aura represented on a physical plane where everyone could see it, and not just specific people attuned to the Force. Seeing and holding his  _ kyber crystal  _ stoked a small fire of hope inside Baz’s chest, a fire he knew he needed to keep burning until the end of his days. 

When you had presented the crystal to him, Baz felt as if everything in the galaxy had aligned perfectly just for him. Signifying, in a not so subtle way ,that his life was changing. His fingers had tingled as he held the gem for the very first time as it bonded with him, connecting to and absorbing some of his aura to make the crystal attuned to him and him alone. 

The R3 unit that you had repaired for his village beeped happily at the front of the cart it pulled, reminding Baz that he was close to being reunited with those he considered to be family. He could see the smoke pillar billowing upwards from the hut his people called the mess hall just over the tops of the thick redwood trees. Several people were knee deep in the krill ponds, cleaning and harvesting a new batch of krill to be sold or turned into spotchka. A dozen children ran through the streets, chasing each other with sticks, laughing as their feet pound against the ground. 

Baz dropped to his knees, and clutched at his heart frantically as a pained cry left his lips. Searing pain shred through his spine and bloomed in his chest, making him feel like he’d been set on fire. One hand ripped and tore at the ground, trying to find something steady to hold onto, while his other hand pressed his  _ kyber crystal _ to his chest, leaving an indentation on his skin above his heart. Tears clouded his vision as he cried out again. He heard someone rush to his side, and barely felt them cradle his head between their hands, frantically and methodically checking him over for any signs of physical injury. 

“Baz?” called Omera, her face full of worry. “Baz what’s wrong?”

Baz’s mouth dropped open to try and answer her, but he could only exhale a pained whimper as he felt your aura fade away, and disappear from the universe. Baz clawed at the ground more, dirt caked up underneath his fingernails as he leaned against Omera as she tried to console him, stroking his hair and muttered that things were okay and would be okay. 

“She’s dead.” he got out. Omera pulled back from him slightly, making sure to keep him in her arms.    
“Who is dead Baz?” she questioned him. 

“My Master.”

*

A sharp, searing pain ripped through your spine, spread like wildfire through your veins, and erupted in your stomach, just below your ribcage before the pain consumed you wholly. Your body was violently tossed forwards off the blurrg, making you sail several feet through the air. Your arms flailed wildly as you tried to twist your body to keep yourself from crashing painfully into the hard ground. As your feet hit the ground - and your hands flew to your abdomen to clutch at the harrowing pain that ate away at you - your surroundings changed. 

Standing inside a ruined cantina, where several dead bodies lay scattered around, your eyes found Cara pressed up against a wall with her gatling gun in her hands. Karga hid behind a wall on the other side of the blown out window, and nearer to that blown out window, was Mando with his blaster in one hand and the comlink hovering near where his mouth would be. 

“Kuiil? Do you copy? Kuiil?” Mando shouted quietly into the comlink. 

“Mando!” you gasped, your hands still pressed to your stomach where something burned and clung to you with a white-hot iron grip. When you dropped your hands away from your white tunic, there was nothing there to suggest you had been injured at all. 

Everyone rapidly turned to look at you, with their weapons raised, as you stood near the side entrance to the cantina. Your eyes locked on Mando’s helmet as you froze. How the hell did you get here? 

Mando stared at you from his position against the wall where he’d taken cover. To say he - and everyone else - was confused would have been an understatement. He looked at you, helmet trained on how you clutched at your stomach, hands pressing down on what he assumed was a wound that you’d sustained. His eyes traveled along your body, trailing upwards as he registered your face contorted in shock, pain and surprise. You looked just as surprised to see him as he was to see you. 

He saw your aura - which worried him. He’d only ever seen an aura once before when you had laced your fingers through his bare ones and shown him how you saw the world. That moment had been so incredibly soft and intimate between the two of you, Din wasn’t sure he’d ever experience anything like it ever again. Your aura hovered around your body now, the bluish iridescent color framed you like a halo, making you look ethereal and divine in this dingy common house. 

His helmet tilted softly to one side, recognizing the color of his own aura around you. He saw his own golden aura hovering around you like a second skin, protecting you. If his aura was around you, was your aura around him as well? Din didn’t have time to look down and check, the sound of a dozen marching footsteps drew everyone’s attention to the blown out window.

Outside that blown out window was a dozen stormtroopers. Standing in the same spot, your eyes scanned over all of the emotionless white helmets that used to give you nightmares as a child. As your eyes tracked over the stormtroopers, your vision was called to the man standing at the front of the fleet. Dressed in all black armor, with a cape flowing softly behind him, you took in his aura. 

Your blood ran cold. 

You’d seen his aura only once before - all those years ago, but you remembered it. You’d never forget his aura. 

It was red and shapeless, and nearly brought you to your knees. You took in the man before you again as your eyes dropped to a familiar looking cylinder attached to his hip. It was a lightsaber. 

Cendren’s lightsaber.

This was the man who had murdered your Master. 

Anger flooded through your veins, and all you could see was Cendren dropping to his knees at the foot of your bed as you lay dying. Your hand wrapped around your lightsaber and ignited it, ready to stab your lightsaber through that Imperial Officer’s chest, ready to watch his life drain from his eyes as you had seen him do to your Master.

“Take cover.” Cara hissed at you. Your eyes snapped to hers, and you quickly moved past her, pressing yourself into a nook of the destroyed bar. You snarled - growled really - and it gained Cara’s attention. 

“You know him or something?” she asked. 

“He killed my Master,” you seethed before pointing towards him. “And he had Cendren’s lightsaber.”

Cara looked at you for a brief but tense moment, before she poked around the corner of the wall again, and sure enough nestled against The Imperial Officer’s waist is a metallic lightsaber that looks similar to the one you wielded now. 

You’re going to kill him.

You shifted your stance, and as you moved to get up and launch yourself through the window to get at the man who killed Cendren, an arm wrapped around your waist and held you back, keeping you from the one thing you had desired most in the entire galaxy. You struggled against whoever held you back, but you barely felt their arms around you. Your anger turned to fury and blind rage as you bucked against their hold.

“ **_Stop_ ** .” Mando snarled in your ear, keeping you pressed against his chest all while keeping a safe distance from your burning laser sword.

You whirled your head around, daggers thrown at his visor – and if looks could kill the Mandalorian would be dead right now.

“We will get it back.” He promised you. It took a second for you to settle slightly, the hatred you felt in your veins still burned hot and bright just beneath your skin. You nodded, and stopped struggling against him.

“Is there another way out?” Cara questioned Karga.

“No, that’s it.” Greef Karga said, pointing towards the main door, leading out into the square where all the stormtroopers were.

“What about how Y/N got in here?”

“I don’t know how I got here.” You snapped, your anger still burned through you, your chest and back ached as a fire burned through you. No doors had opened to allow you inside the cantina, and no one had seen how you had gotten inside, including yourself. How you got in here was a mystery. 

“What about the sewers?” Mando asked, glancing over his shoulder before looking back inside the busted up cantina.

“Sewers?” Karga asked, confused about what Mando proposed.

“The Mandalorians have a covert down in the sewers. If we can get down there, they can help us escape.” Mando explained.

“Yeah, sewers are good.” Cara agreed, wanting desperately to get out.

“Checking for access points.” Mando said as he typed something into his vambrace, keeping you behind him and pressed against the wall. He moved his helmet slowly, scanning the entire cantina for any vents or other forms of access points to get you all down into the sewers.

“What the hell are they waiting for?” Cara questioned, looking out at the stormtroopers again.

Peeking over Mando’s shoulder, you saw a dozen stormtroopers shift their positions as more arrived, carrying something heavy looking.

“Hold up.” Cara warned you. You carefully watched as the stormtroopers began to assemble a large automated weapon in front of the cantina.

Cara sighed deeply as she pressed herself back against the wall.

“They’re setting up an E-Web.”

“It’s over.” Karga stated.

“What’s an E-Web?” you asked.

“It’s a heavy repeating blaster used in the Imperial arsenal.” Karga informed you.

“Oh, that sounds bad. Like really, really bad.” You commented, realizing just how fucked you all are.

“I found the sewer vent.” Mando said, giving you a small spark of hope. Your eyes followed where you thought his line of sight was focused, and you settled on a booth, where several cushions and pillows were placed on top of a bench - one you hope wasn’t bolted to the ground.

“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Cara said, adjusting her grip on her gatling gun.

Cara, yourself and Mando stealthily moved through the cantina, and made your way over to the seat. You and Mando shoved the entire bench aside, and revealed the grate. Together all three of you gripped the large grate in the wall, and pulled with all your might. You grunted and groaned as you tried to get the damn thing to move, but it wouldn’t budge. 

“It’s assembled! How long until that thing’s cleared?” Karga whisper shouted at you, his voice strained.

“Blow it.” Cara said.

“I’m out of charges.” Mando replied.

You whirled around, and jabbed your lightsaber against the metal grate, but it did nothing but sputter and spark. When you removed your lightsaber from the grate, there were only a couple of scorch marks to prove you’d done anything at all to it.

“Get out of the way!” Cara ordered as she picked up her gatling gun, and began to fire at the grate. When she stopped firing, you roughly kicked your boot against the panel but it didn’t budge.

“Your astute panic suggests that you understand your situation.” The Imperial Officer’s voice called out, echoing into the cantina. Your temper flared again as you whipped around to glare at him through the broken window. “I would prefer to avoid any further violence, and encourage a moment of consideration.”

“Members of my escort have completed assembly of an E-Web heavy repeating blaster. If you are unfamiliar with this weapon, I am sure that the Republican Shock Trooper Carasynthia Dune of Alderaan will advise you that she has witnessed many of her ranks vaporize mid-descent, facing the predecessor of this particular model.” The Imperial Officer said, taunting everyone inside the cantina.

It made you incredibly nervous that the Imperial Officer knew who Cara was and where she came from. He knew so much about her, and she hadn’t been associated with you or the Mandalorian for very long. You all glanced back at Cara, unsure and anxious about where the Imperial Officer wanted to take this.

“Or maybe you want to discuss the  _ Tiny Star _ from Jedha that’s out on the lava plains.” The Imperial Officer began. 

Your head slowly turned away from Cara to look out at the man who killed your Master as your blood cooled in your veins. He knew your name – the name that Cendren always called you by. The one name the Force referred to you as. A name you never thought you’d hear spoken aloud again. Your lightsaber powered down, leaving the cantina dark again. Why did he say you were out on the lava fields when you were here in the common house?

“After all, Cendren Maldeth’s apprentice was not who she said she was.” You stepped forwards, moving closer to the open window to look at the Imperial Officer as he spoke to all of you inside the cantina.

“Did you know that Cendren Maldeth was a traitor to the Republic and the Empire. For a  _ dog _ who was proficiently trained in the Darkside of the Force, he should have known better than to run away like the coward he was. The Rule of Two was a thing for a reason. But alas, he and his apprentice got what they deserved.” The Imperial Officer said.

“No.” you breathed out, your heart sank in your chest, your very soul grew heavy as despair settled over you. 

Your mind went completely blank as you took in the information this man had just laid out for you. In all your years training with Cendren, you had never once felt him fall to the Darkside of the Force. You wanted to believe that the words the Imperial Officer spoke were lies, but everything within you told you he was speaking the truth. Your Master had belonged to the Darkside, and everything you had been taught in life was a lie.

“Or perhaps the decommissioned Mandalorian hunter, Din Djarin, has heard the songs of the Siege of Mandalore,” The Imperial Officer continued.

You felt Mando move to stand beside you, and your heart beat wildly in your chest as you learned his true name –  _ Din Djarin. _

As his name repeated itself in your head, and stitched itself into your heart and very soul, you felt a strange sense of déjà vu – as if you had heard or spoken his name before. It was beautiful, and suited him perfectly. And you couldn’t have asked the Maker for a better name for him.

_ Din Djarin. _

“…when gunships outfitted with similar ordnance, laid waste to the fields of Mandalorian recruits in the Night of a Thousand Tears.”

“I advise disgraced Magistrate Greef Karga to search the wisdom of his years, and urge you to lay down your arms and come outside. The structure you are trapped in will be razed in short order, and your storied lives will come to an unceremonious end.”

“What do you propose?” Karga yelled out.

“Reasonable negotiation.” The Imperial Officer offered.

“What assurance do you offer?”

“If you’re asking if you can trust me, you cannot.” Gideon said. You slowly looked up at Mando, who slowly tilted his helmet to look down at you, a silent ‘ _ yeah we fucking knew that _ ’ passing between the two of you. “Just as you betrayed our business arrangement, I would gladly break any promise and watch you die at my hand.” 

“Not unless I get there first.” You snarled at him under your breath, your jaw clenched painfully.

“The assurance I give is this: I will act in my own self-interest, which at this time involves your cooperation and benefit. I will give you until nightfall, and then I will have the E-Web cannon open fire.”

You watched as he walked away from the cantina, and was swallowed up by the stormtroopers that moved out of his way, and then blocked your line of sight. Karga whipped around to look at all of you.

“I say we hear him out.”

“The minute we open that door, we’re dead.” Cara deadpanned.

“We’re dead if we don’t.” Karga fired back. “At least out there, we’ve got a shot.”

“That’s easy for you to say.” Cara said as she moved around the cantina, and began to pillage the discarded weapons the Fire Team that the Client had, had left behind. It wasn’t like they were using them anyways. “I’m a Rebel Shock Trooper. They’ll upload me to a Mind Flayer.”

“Those aren’t real. That was just wartime propaganda.” Karga argued.

“I don’t care to find out. I’m shooting my way out of here.” Cara retorted.

Mando hadn’t said anything since the Imperial Officer revealed his name to everyone. You saw his aura wasn;t as bright and strong and present like it normally was. He seemed dejected, conflicted and broken. And your own aura that lingered protectively around him, acting like a second skin looked strange to you. It was not the bluish iridescent color you’d had all your life. It was extremely faint, and if you looked for long enough, it flickered in and out, getting dimmer each time. 

“ _ Tiny Star _ ?” Mando – Din – questioned you as his hand curled around your bicep, stopping you from moving away from him to go help Cara.

“ _ Din Djarin? _ ” you asked in the same hushed tone, but your eyes were soft when you looked at his visor. His visor was tilted downwards, drinking in your expression as a silent conversation played out between the two of you, and he understood what  _ Tiny Star _ meant - it was your name, one you hadn’t heard in a very, very long time. Just like his name. 

“What about you Mando?” Karga interrupted. He already knew that wherever Mando went, you went.

“I know who he is.” Mando said, catching you off guard. You weren’t expecting  _ that _ . Everyone looked to Mando, not expecting him to know who that was outside.

“It’s Moff Gideon.”

“No. Moff Gideon was executed for war crimes.” Cara tried to deny it.

“It's him. He knew my name.”

“So? What’s that prove?” Karga asked.

“I haven’t heard that name spoken since I was a child.” Mando said, his helmet jerked sideways to look at you. You were the one and only exception to what he’d just revealed.

“On Mandalore?”

“I was not born on Mandalore.” Mando revealed.

“But you’re a Mandalorian?” Karga questioned, growing more confused by the second.

“Mandalorian isn’t a race.” You said.

“It’s a Creed.” Mando finished for you.

You were overcome with grief and fear and gratefulness as you felt Mando reflect on his past, before he was a Mandalorian. Through the Force, you saw brief flashes of images – of his home planet – of people dressed in red robes – of robots and blaster fire laying waste to what was once his home. You saw images of darkness and terror before a gloved hand reached out towards him, offering him safety after such a traumatic event.

“I was a foundling. They raised me in the Fighting Corps. I was treated as one of their own. When I came of age, I was sworn to the Creed. The only record of my family name was in the registers of Mandalore. Moff Gideon was an ISB Officer during the purge. That’s how I know it’s him.”

“That’s how he knows who we all are.” Cara realized.

“He says he needs us, which means the Child got away safely.” Mando added. Why and how you got here was still a mystery. How was the Kid safe if you weren’t there to keep him safe, and Kuiil wasn’t answering the commlink?

“I was worried when the Ugnaught didn’t respond, but if they’d captured the kid, we’d already be dead.”

“Hail them again.” Cara said as she zipped passed you, moving through the cantina.

“Come in Kuiil. Kuiil?” Mando tried. “Nothing.”

“They might have jammed the link. Feel anything?” Cara shouted back at you, questioning if you could feel anything through the Force.

“Nothing.” You repeated Mando’s words.

The Kid’s high-pitched cries came through the comlink, making everyone whip around to look at the small device in Mando’s hands.

“ _ Kuiil has been terminated _ .” IG-11’s voice came through the comlink, followed by a garbled mixture of static and IG’s voice saying “ _ The _ ... _ also…termin...ed.”  _ which made no sense to any of you.

“What did you do?” Mando growled into the comlink.

“ _ I am fulfilling my base function _ .” IG-11 said.

“Which is?” Mando stressed.

“ _ To nurse and protect _ .” IG-11 confirmed.

Over the commlink, and in the distance you heard blaster fire going off, and you heard it rapidly approaching and nearing the cantina. A dozen stormtroopers moved from their positions, as the blaster fire got closer. 

“Look!” Cara said. 

You moved closer to the open window, and watched as IG-11 jumped from a speeder bike, and began firing off his blaster at the stormtroopers that had caged you in. The speeder bike tumbled and crashed into several stormtroopers, taking them out in a giant fiery blast. You ducked down as the heat from the blast that rushed past you, and into the cantina. 

“Cover me!” Mando shouted. Cara leapt over the bar and planted herself on top of it, giving her the advantage she needed as she fired into the crowd of stormtroopers. 

The second entrance to the cantina slid open, and all hell broke loose. You followed Karga out of the cantina, and immediately threw yourself at the nearest stormtrooper you see, spearing him with your lightsaber. Yanking your saber from his chest, you ducked and spun through the chaos around you, cutting off heads and ending lives in a matter of seconds. 

You moved towards IG-11, providing him with extra cover as more stormtroopers arrived, and began firing at the assassin turned nurse droid. IG-11 dropped to his knees as a blaster shot knocked him over. You twist and turned and blocked the blaster bolts that came your way as you moved farther into no man’s land, letting fury burn in your wake, and you only paused to breathe when you saw Mando pick up the E-Web with his own hands. He turned the E-Web on the new reinforcements of stormtroopers, and let them have it, being careful of where you were in his line of fire. 

You tore your eyes off of Mando, and watched IG get to his feet, where he stumbled slightly before correcting his footing. You covered him as IG moved towards the open cantina door, seeking cover for the Child in order to keep him safe. Your head whipped around to see what happened when not one but two explosions nearly knocked you off your feet. When the dust settled, your vision still blurred as your head throbbed in unimaginable pain. And the fire in your chest still burned brightly, consuming and frying every nerve within your body. 

You could see the glint of beskar lying on the ground outside the door of the cantina - too far away for you to move and protect him in a reasonable amount of time. And you could see Moff Gideon - the man who killed your Master - standing not far from you, where he holstered his blaster. You couldn’t move. You couldn’t breathe. You couldn’t believe that he was right there in front of you. 

He was only a few meters away from you, and it wouldn’t take much to end his life right now. You could see it - your lightsaber piercing his chest, and sinking through his armor and slicing through the meat of his heart. Staring him in the eye, watching as his life force drained out of him, your rageful gaze never leaving his eyes even as his legs gave out from underneath him, before his body slumped to the dirty ground - dead with justice served. 

Hearing Cara groan over blaster fire snapped you from your stupor. You blindly and madly dashed over fallen bodies and debris as you scrambled back towards the cantina, where the door slid closed the second you squeezed inside. 

Cara roughly dragged Mando’s body backwards, as you rushed to her side to help. 

“Stay with me buddy.” she gasped out. “We’re going to get you out of here.”    
“This is our only path out of here. Can you clear it?” Karga asked, directing his question at IG-11. 

Cara laid Mando down on the bench you had moved earlier, as IG set the Child down to help Karga move some crates that had been shifted around in the blast that Cara had nearly died in. 

“Stay with me.” Cara said softly. 

“If you go near this Child, I will have no choice but to kill you.” IG-11 stated. 

“I understand. Can you do anything to move the grate?” Karga replied. 

“Yes of course.” IG said as he crouched down and began to use a welding tool to break through the sealed off grate. 

“Oh I love IG units.” Karga muttered as he took cover behind a crate. 

Staring down at Mando, you saw that he was not doing well. His aura was faint and pulsed weakly around him. His breath was slow and deep, and you felt him slipping away from you. Your body felt like it was floating, and you were just along for the ride to watch everything as it played out in front of you like a very bad holofilm. 

“I’m not going to make it. Go.” Mando said.   
_ No. _ your heart whispered in protest as you looked down at him.  _ Please don’t do this. Please don’t leave me. Not like this. I just got you back.  _

“Shut up. You just got your bell rung. You’ll be fine.” Cara retorted, her voice shook. You’d never heard her sound scared before, not like this.

“Leave me.” he repeated, his own voice strained like it physically hurt him to talk. 

Cara’s hand came away from Mando’s helmet, covered in blood. A whimper crawled its way out of your throat as you reached outwards, and pressed your fingers underneath his helmet, pushing past the cowl to rest your fingers against the skin on his neck.    
“I’m going to need to take this thing off.” 

“No. You leave me.” Mando’s hands wrapped around your wrists as your fingers gripped the edge of his helmet and went to take it off. Your eyes burned as you held back tears as you looked down at him. His visor tilted to look at you, and you saw your pained face in the reflection of his visor. 

“No, please.” you whimpered, no longer caring to look or feel strong. 

“You make sure the Child is safe.” he said, making you silently keep that promise to him. “Here.” he let go of one of your wrists, and ripped off something from beneath his cowl. He pressed it into your palm, the ice cold metal made you jump.    
“When you get to the Mandalorian covert, you show them that.” You looked down at what he’d given you. A mythosaur skull pendant hung from a leather cord that rested against your heated skin. “You tell them it's from Din Djarin. Tell them the foundling was in my protection, and they’ll help you.” 

“We can make it!” Cara protested. “Come on! Let’s go!” 

She grabbed his shoulders, and tried to get him to sit up, but his body slumped back against the bench he had been propped up on.    
“I’m not gonna make it and you know it.” Mando said, aiming his words at Cara. 

Heat filled the cantina, pouring in from the blown out window. You instinctively draped yourself over Mando, shielding him with your entire body, with no care for yourself if you get burned by the fire above you. The weight of Cara’s body pressed on top of yours, as the cantina burst into flames. When the initial flamethrower stopped throwing fire, Cara got off of you and Mando and looked at the furniture that burned brightly around you. 

“Don’t do this. I can get you out of here.” you begged Mando as you looked down at him. If the Child could heal Karga, you could heal Mando. You had enough determination to do. You could, perhaps, exchange your life for his. That would be a fair trade, and the Force would accept such a sacrifice. You pressed your hands to his chestplate, and stared down at where his heart beat, willing and imagining your energy, your life, flowing from you and into the Mandalorian. 

“Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum.”  **_I know you forever._ ** Mando whispered to you, making you lose your focus. 

Hearing him speak was more than you could handle right now. Hearing him say he loved you, was more than a reminder. It was a confession and a goodbye wrapped all into one. He was not telling you he loved you to reassure you that things would turn out to be okay. He was telling you so that you could remember, in the future, when you feel alone in this awful galaxy that you were not alone, that even though he was dead, his love for you would live on. 

_ He was telling you goodbye.  _

He groaned beneath you, making you pull away from him, thinking you’d hurt him with your weight pressed on top of his body.

“You protect the Child.” he repeated. “I can hold them back long enough for you to escape. Let me have a warrior's death.” 

You hadn’t done everything you had wanted to do with him and the Kid. You hadn’t given him the world like you promised yourself you would. 

“I- I can’t - I won’t do this without you.” 

“I won’t leave you.” Cara breathed out. She’d lost too many people to lose anymore. She can’t watch another one of her comrades die in battle. 

“This is the Way.” Mando breathed out, looking up at you. 

The roar of fire from the flamethrower entered through the blown out door at the side of the cantina, and engulfed half of the cantina. You ducked your head down and underneath the Mandalorian’s helmet, letting your nose breathe in his scent as you clung to him. You pressed your face against the side of his neck, and into his cowl as heat licked up your spine. 

When the flames died down again, you looked over your shoulder and stared as a red striped incinerator trooper stepped through the cantina door, his flamethrower raised in his hands, aimed at all of you. You ducked back down, wanting to be close to Mando when you died so you wouldn’t feel so alone when you finally left this plane of existence. You squeezed your eyes shut, and heard the roar of the fire - but the heat never came. 

Slowly looking up and behind you, you saw the Child with both his little arms stretched out, holding the wall of fire back, keeping you all safe from harm. The Child flicked his hand upwards, and sent the flames back towards the red striped trooper. The stormtrooper cried out as he was thrown backwards, his ass alight. The Child sank to the ground, and fell over, all of his energy spent. You jumped when you heard IG kick at the grate, before it caved in on itself. 

“Come on! It’s open, let’s go.” Karga called out. 

You watched as the entire cantina continued to burn down around you. Smoke filled your lungs and the heat made the tears in your eyes evaporate. 

“Go. Go.” Mando said, making you look back down at him. 

“I’m not leaving you.” 

“We have to move! Now!” 

“Go.” Mando said a bit more forcefully. 

Cara stood, and IG-11 pushed the Child swaddled in a rucksack into her hands.    
“Escape and protect this Child. I will stay with the Mandalorian.” IG said. 

Cara moved to pick up her gatling gun, and as she moved towards the grate she stopped to look up at the IG unit. “Promise me you’ll bring him.”

“You have my word.” 

Arms wrapped around your waist and hauled you backwards and away from the Mandalorian. You kicked and thrashed and desperately tried to get out of Karga’s grasp as he pulled your body through the open grate and down into the sewers. Cara followed after you, and kept you from slipping free and rushing back to Mando’s side. 

“Karga please!” you begged him as you landed in the sewers. 

“I am sorry Tiny Star.” He told you. 

Above you, you heard metal crash in the cantina above you as things finally begin to collapse. You stopped struggling against Karga’s grip, which he took as a good sign before releasing you. You didn’t try to run back to help Mando. He asked you to keep the Child safe, and you weren’t about to disappoint him. 

Down in the sewers, everything was dark. So dark, you could barely see in front of your face. Eyes open or closed, it made no difference. Cara passed Karga a flashlight to help guide them through the maze of tunnels that run beneath Nevarro City. 

A muffled explosion erupted behind you, causing you all to turn. You half expected Imps to come swarming down the tunnels as you heard footsteps approaching your location. Clenching your blaster tightly in your fist, you shakily raised it at whoever approached.

Seeing IG round the corner, helping Mando limp along, you forgot how to breathe. You squeezed passed Cara and Karga, and ran towards them, throwing your arms around Mando’s neck, and pulled him against your body. He nearly fell over, but you hold him up. His headlight blinded you as you looked up at his visor, as relief flooded through you. 

Pulling back to look at him more properly, you laughed. “I lied on that prison ship. This is the time that I have never been happier to see you.” Mando let out a forced chuckle as Cara moved forward, and you stepped back. 

Cara passed the Child to IG as she wrapped one of Mando’s arms over her shoulder to take some of his weight for him. “I got you.” 

Walking further into the tunnels, you wondered how anyone even lived down here. With every step you took into a new corridor, your mind felt like it was playing tricks on you.

“Do you know which way to go?” Karga asked. 

“No, I don’t know these tunnels. I only entered from the bazaar.” Mando said as he groaned in pain. You believed that whatever IG had given Mando, wasn’t enough to help heal all of the wounds Mando had sustained in the short time you’d fought against Gideon and his troops. 

“Well, if we get the smell of sulfur, and we follow it, it’ll lead us to the plains where the river flows.” 

“And the Imps will catch us before we make it to the ship. We need the Mandalorians to escort us to safety.” 

Taking yet another turn down a various tunnel, Cara groaned in frustration. “Ugh, this place is a maze.” 

“Stop.” Mando said, shrugging Cara off of him. “I can stand.”

“The bacta infusion is working.” IG offered. 

“I’ll try to find tracks.” Mando said, looking towards the ground. 

“We’re close.” Mando said, leading you in one direction, “Turn here.”

Following the footsteps that are illuminated by his visor, Din led everyone through the tunnels and toward a now familiar section of tunnels. Everyone looked around in the dimly lit tunnels, and slowly came to a stop when they came upon a large pile of Mandalorian armor. Helmets, chest plates and pauldrons are piled together in a giant heap, some visors cracked inside helmets, others completely broken or damaged. 

Din numbly reached upwards and turned off his headlamp before slowly crouching down. His hands reached out and picked up a discarded helmet, one where the visor was cracked and broken. Staring at the helmet, Din knew he couldn’t leave these helmets - this sacred armor - here like this.    
“We should go.” Cara told him gently.    
“You go. Take the ship. I can’t leave it this way. Did you know about this?” Mando asked, aiming his question at Greef. “Is this the work of your _ bounty hunters _ ?”

“No.” Karga defended himself. “When you left the system, and took the prize, the fighting ended. The hunters just melted away. You know how it is. They’re mercenaries. They’re not zealots.” 

Mando set the helmet down gently, before he got to his feet, and invaded Karga’s space, jabbing his finger into Karga’s chest. “Did you do this? Did you?” 

“No!”

“It was not his fault.” spoke a woman - the Armorer - as she stepped into the corridor. Her aura was a pretty yellow gold, that matched the color of her helmet. It sparkled around her, and burned brightly, fiercely. 

“We revealed ourselves. We knew what could happen if we left the covert. The Imperials arrived shortly thereafter.” she said, picking up a chest piece. “This is what resulted.” 

You watched as she continued to pick up pieces of beskar from the pile in the middle of the tunnels. A pile that should not have been there at all. You were the reason for all those dead Mandalorians. You’d gotten them killed. 

“Did any survive?” Din questioned her.    
“I hope so. Some may have escaped off-world.” the Armorer said as she continued to load armor into a floating crate.    
“Come with us.” Din said, looking down at the armor. 

“No. I will not abandon this place until I have salvaged what remains” the Armorer said as she pushed the cart inside a room. Din followed after her, and Cara, IG, and Karga trailed after him, still wary of what might lurk in the tunnels. 

Stepping into the room, you immediately noticed how hot it is. A smelter burned bright in the center of the room, as the Armorer grabbed a pair of tongs and picked up a piece of armor before placing it inside to begin melting it down. The beskar melted down in a matter of seconds. 

“Show me the ones whose safety deemed such destruction.” the Armorer asked, turning towards Din. 

IG-11 came to stand beside you, presenting not only yourself but the Child to her as well. Din came up to your other side, and looks at the Armorer. 

“This is the one.” 

The Armorer turned to look at Din Djarin as an IG droid stepped closer to the forge, and presented a small green creature for her to look at inside a brown bag. Beneath the helmet, the Armorer noticed that Din Djarin left a strange amount of room between himself and the IG unit, but she made no comment on it. 

‘This is the one you hunted, then saved?” the Armorer asked. 

“Yes. The one that saved me as well.” Din said, gesturing not only towards the Kid but also to the empty space between himself and the IG droid. The Armorer looked over at Din Djarin, surprised to hear his words. 

“From the Mudhorn?”

“Yes.” 

“It looks helpless.” the Armorer commented, not bothering to look at you. Your eyebrows creased together, offended by her words, or lack thereof. Was she going to look at you and assess you too? Or would she continue to ignore your presence? The Kid cooed sadly in his sack, his ears flattening downwards.    
“It’s injured, but it is not helpless.” Din stated. 

“Its species can move objects with its mind.” Din continued, speaking not only of the Kid but also of you. 

“I know of such things.” the Armorer said, moving back towards the smelter. She moved around, grabbing various tools and items as she continued to speak. “The songs of eons past tell of battles between Mandalore the Great, and an order of sorcerers called Jedi that fought with such powers.” 

“It is an enemy?” Din questioned. He had heard the songs and stories long ago, but hadn’t thought the sorcerers to be enemies. Hadn’t you told him you knew your kinds were sworn enemies once?

“No. It’s kind were enemies, but this individual is not.” 

“What is it?” Din asked as the Armorer moved towards a cabinet that hissed open when she came near. 

“It is a foundling. By Creed it is in your care.” 

“You wish me to train this thing?” 

You glanced back over your shoulder at Karga, who gave you a questioning look. With a half shrug of your shoulder, you turned back to look at the Armorer. 

“It is too weak. It would die. You have no choice. You must reunite it with its own kind.” the Armorer instructed Din.    
“Where?” 

“This you must determine.” The Armorer said. 

“You expect me to search the galaxy for the home of this creature and deliver it to a race of enemy sorcerers?” Din questioned her, turning his helmet to look at you. 

“This is the Way.” the Armorer replied before she began to hammer away, building something. You watched as her muscles contracted beneath her heavy coat and thick mane of fur as the Armorer continued without fail to bend and mold the melted beskar into whatever shape she wanted.    
“Hey,” Cara cut in, her nerves growing with each passing minute. “These tunnels are going to be lousy with Imps in a matter of minutes. We should at least discuss an escape plan.” 

“Cara’s right.” you piped up. “We need to leave.” 

“If you follow the descending tunnel, it will lead you to the underground river. It flows downstream toward the lava flats.” the Armorer said.    
“I think we should go.” Karga said.    
“I’m staying.” Mando replied. You quickly turned to look at him, your heart weighing heavy in your chest. “I need to help her and I need to heal.” 

“Heal on the  _ Crest _ .” you told him. 

“You must go. A foundling is in your care. By Creed until it is of age, or reunited with its own kind, you are as its father.” the Armorer said, as she placed the molded beskar into a vat of liquid to solidify its shape. “This is the Way.” 

The Armorer turned towards Din and yourself, and you saw her aura burn brighter. “You have earned your Signet.” 

She moved forwards, a blowtorch and metal signet in each hand, and came to Din’s right side. She quickly by meticulously molded the signet to his pauldron. Din’s chest filled with pride and honor as she worked. 

“You are a clan of two.” she declared. 

Staring at the signet, you saw it was in the shape of a Mudhorn. It warmed your heart to know Din had earned the right to his own clan, but your heart sank, muttering a sad, soft  _ ‘oh’ _ at the implication of her words. A clan of  _ two _ ? The Armorer did not see you as a part of their clan, of their journey. 

“Thank you. I will wear this with honor.” Din replied, looking up from his pauldron to the Armorer. He was also surprised that the Armorer did not speak of you, or to you, this entire time. Especially after all Din had told her about you and how you also aided him in taking down the Mudhorn. 

Muffled explosions made you all jump, and those explosions sound closer than you wanted them to be. 

“We should go.” Karga said urgently. 

“IG please guard the outer hallway.” the Armorer asked the droid. “A scouting party draws near.” 

IG took the Child, and passed him over to Cara. She protested, but IG-11 left him in her arms, and moved out into the hallway. 

“I have one more gift for your journey.” the Armorer said, moving around the forgery. “Have you trained in the Rising Phoenix?”

“When I was a boy, yes.”

“Then this will make you complete.” she said, turning around with a fully metallic jetpack in her hands. 

“Thank you.” Din said. He was practically speechless. 

“When you have healed you will begin your drills. Until you know it, it will not listen to your commands.” 

“I understand.” 

Blaster fire in the tunnel forced you to readjust your grip on your blaster and your lightsaber, your eyes focused solely on the entrance to the forgery. Cara pulled her blaster out, and kept a tight grip on the Child. You stared as IG came into view, with his own blasters drawn.    
“You are protected.” 

“More will come. You must go.”

“Come with us.”

“My place is here.” she said, moving around the forgery. “Restock your munitions. IG carry this for Din Djarin until he is well enough to wear it.”

IG stepped into the forgery and took the jetpack from the Armorer. He moved back out into the hallway, with the jetpack in his hands. You followed after him, and ignited your lightsaber once you were no longer in such a confined space. 

Din came to stand before the Armorer, looking at her with the utmost respect. “Be safe on your journey.” 

“Thank you.” he said, and hesitated when he went to ask her something. He had to know why she didn’t speak of you.    
“What is it, Din Djarin?” the Armorer questioned him, a slight tease in her voice.

“Why didn’t you speak to her?” 

“The one you spoke of long ago?” she questioned. The Armorer tilt her helmet to the side, giving away that she didn’t understand why Din brought you up, especially since you were not present with them. And for all intents and purposes, the Armorer believed you to be dead after trying to make an escape off of Nevarro. 

“Yes.” 

“Her absence is of no consequence.”    
Mando tilt his helmet, confused by the Armorer’s choice of words, and how they belittled your presence and person. His temper flared, but after everything the Armorer had done for him and gifted to him, he stamped it down. He might want her approval of you, but he knew he didn’t need it. Mando nodded at the Armorer once more before moving towards the exit as he drew out his blaster.

It took some time, and only a few wrong turns to get to the lava river that the Armorer directed you towards. 

“This is the lava river.” Karga said, and you couldn’t stop your eyes from rolling around in your skull. 

The lava river spat and bubbled violently as the current dragged along. A ferry was docked in front of you at a makeshift port, and the entire thing looked like it was one ride away from bursting into flames and sinking to the bottom of the lava river, never to be seen again. 

“The ferry droid is fried.” Mando commented. 

“Yeah, but if we push the boat out, we can get it to float downstream.” Karga suggested, and that might just work. “Come on.” 

“Looks old, will it take the heat?” Mando asked, voicing the concerns you had. Karga bent over and began to slowly push against the boat. 

“Yout got a better idea?” he snarked.

“Guess not.” Mando shrugged, before moving to help Karga push against the ship. They grunted and groaned as they pushed with everything they had against the boat, but it didn't budge. 

“Push!” Karga shouted. Mando kicked the ship in anger, before turning to look for something to unwedge the boat from where it was stuck. 

“What are you doing? Push!” Karga repeated, as Mando picked up a pipe to wedge between the side of the boat, and the wall it was stuck against.

“Let’s try this.” Mando suggested. 

With an eye roll, Cara looked at you as she slung her gatling gun off of her shoulder to get a better grip of it. “You guys mind getting out of the way?” she asked. 

Greef and Mando turned around to see what Cara meant, and both of them scrambled to get out of the way as she fired at the craft, cutting and heating up the dried lava that had welded the boat to the docking bay. 

“Good job” Karga said as the boat settled back into the lava flow. As the boat began to drift down stream, everyone climbed aboard. 

“Watch your feet. It’s molten lava.” IG-11 said. 

“No kidding.” Cara deadpanned. 

As everyone looked at where the lava river flowed to, electrical beeps and whirring stirred to life behind you. Everyone’s blasters were drawn as you watch an R2 astrometric droid came alive again. It came to stand at its full height, and chirped and whirred at you all. 

“I don’t suppose anybody here speaks droid?” Mando questioned.

“Only Basic, Jawaese, Coremaic, Shistavanen and a little bit of Mando’a.” you offered, but you knew it’s not going to help.

“I believe he is asking where we would like to go.” IG translated. 

“Down river. To the lava flat.” Karga said, speaking to the droid. The droid chirped, as if accepting Karga’s request. He sank his long rowing oar into the lava, and began to push and maneuver the boat downstream. 

The ride down the lava river was slow going, giving everyone time to rest from the battle they had just endured. No one spoke, and only the R2 ferry droid made noise, just rhythmic chirping and whirring. It reminded you of the R3 unit you fixed on Sorgan for the people of Baz’s village. From your spot in the middle of the river, you can see mink-like creatures scurrying along the bank of the river, watching you with glowing red eyes. 

“That’s it! We’re free.” Karga said, pointing to an opening at the end of the tunnel where a bright white light shone in. 

Mando stepped forwards, and reached down to press a button on his vambrace. 

“No, no we’re not.” Mando said. 

“What do you mean?” you asked him. 

“Stormtroopers. They’re flanking the mouth of the tunnel. It looks like an entire platoon. They must know we’re coming.”

“Stop the boat.” Cara said, “Hey, droid, I said stop the boat.” 

The droid chirped behind her, which only pissed Cara off. “Hey I’m talking to you!” She marched forwards and drew out her blaster, “I said stop!” and then a spray of sparks erupted from the droid as Cara pulled her weapon away. 

“Cara!” you snapped at her. Why the kriff did she do that? That wasn’t necessary. 

“We’re still moving.” Karga pointed out. 

“Looks like we fight.” Cara stated. 

“There are too many.” Mando replied.

“Then what do you suggest? Cause I can’t surrender.” 

“They will not be satisfied with anything less than the Child. This is unacceptable.” IG-11 stated. “I will eliminate the enemy and you will escape.” 

“You don’t have that kind of firepower, pal.” Mando scolded the nurse droid. “You wouldn’t even get to daylight.” 

“That is not my objective.” 

“We’re getting close. Saddle up.” Cara said, passing the Child off to IG-11. 

“I still have the security protocols from my manufacturer. If my designs are compromised, I must self-destruct.” 

“What’re you talking about?” Mando questioned him. 

“I am not permitted to be captured. I must be destroyed.” 

“Are we going to keep talking or are we gonna get out of here?” 

IG rotated the beskar jetpack in his hands, and extended it outwards. “I can no longer carry this for you.” He set it down on a crate on the ferry with a heavy clunk! “Nor can I watch over the Child.” 

“Wait, you can’t self-destruct. Your base command is to watch the Child.” Mando argued. “That supersedes your manufacturer’s protocol, right? Right?”

“This is correct.” 

“Good. Now, grab a blaster and help us shoot our way out.” 

“Victory through combat is impossible. We will be captured. The Child will be lost. Sadly, there is no scenario where the Child is saved, in which I survive.” IG said, trying to get his point across to the Mandalorian. 

“Listen, you’re not going anywhere. We need you, let’s just come up with a...”

“Please tell me the Child will be safe in your care. If you do so, I can default to my secondary command.”

“But you’ll be destroyed.” 

“And you will live, and I will have served my purpose.” 

Mando looked down for a moment, his feelings conflicted and jumbled like a ball of twine. “No, we need you.” 

“There is nothing to be sad about. I have never been alive.” 

“I’m not sad.” Mando lied.

“Yes you are. I am a nurse droid. I’ve analyzed your voice.” IG said before reaching out to stroke one metal finger over the Kid’s ear in an affectionate gesture, one that seemed so strange and foreign for a droid to do. IG moved towards the side of the boat, and began to climb into the lava. 

“IG!” you called out to him, hoping he’d stop. “What are you doing?” Karga called after him as IG’s foot sank into the lava, and immediately began to burn. 

IG-11 walked forwards through the lava, and toward the rapidly approaching exit, where Mando said a platoon of stormtroopers were waiting to gun you down and steal the Child away. IG stuttered as he walked, his feet and legs melting in the lava as he moved away from you all. 

The blast rushed at you all as IG blew up, and incinerated everything within close proximity to it. The heat rushed past your face and as the ash and dust settled outside, you saw that nothing remained of the assassin turned nurse droid. The ferry slowly emerged from the tunnel, giving you all adequate time to take in all the dead stormtroopers that had been waiting for you. 

The whir of a TIE fighter had you all looking to the sky. The TIE descended towards you all at a frighteningly fast pace as you raised your blasters towards it. 

“Moff Gideon!” Cara shouted. Moff Gideon fired a few shots at your ship, but missed each time. You all fired back, but your handheld weapons did little against a starfighter. 

“He missed!” Karga said as Moff Gideon’s TIE disappeared behind a mound of lava rocks. 

“He won’t next time.” Mando said. 

“Our blasters are useless against him.” 

“We need a new plan.” you stated. 

“Hey, let’s make the baby do the magic hand thing.” Karga suggested. Your head slowly rotated to look at Karga. “Come on baby! Do the magic hand thing!” Karga waveed three fingers at the Kid, and shook them back and forth trying to imitate what the Kid had done last night. 

The Kid waved back at Karga, and you laughed. Karga sighed heavily before speaking again, “I’m out of ideas.” 

“I’m not.” Mando said.

Your eyes were drawn to the sky again as Moff Gideon’s TIE came back around, the whirr of it echoed around you for miles as he rapidly approached. Blaster shots from the TIE fighter kicked up debris and heavy chunks of lava rock as Gideon approached you all. As he flew overhead, Mando shot upwards and over the TIE, surprising you with the use of his jetpack. And then you watched as his grappling line hooked to the TIE, and dragged him behind it. 

Tracking the TIE fighter through the air, you watched helplessly as Mando used his grappling line to pull himself to the TIE and began firing at the cockpit door, trying to get inside. It was useless, and Moff Gideon banked left and right, trying to throw Mando off. 

Cara grabbed the Kid, and you all scrambled off the boat and moved across the lava plains, searching for where the TIE fighter went. A detonator went off in the air high above Nevarro, and you could barely see Mando. A large explosion erupted from the TIE fighter, and it began to spiral into the ground before crashing into the soil. 

Your eyes immediately found Mando in the sky, his body rapidly descending towards the ground. You shot your hand upwards, ready to try and slow his fall with the Force, but his jetpack engaged just in time, and gently lowered him to the ground a few feet in front of where you, Karga, Cara and the Child stood. 

“That was impressive, Mando. Very impressive.” Karga said as you all got closer. “Looks like your Guild rates have just gone up.”

“Any more stormtroopers?” Mando asked, ignoring Karga’s joke. 

“I think we cleaned up the town.” Cara said. “I’m thinking of staying around just to be sure.” 

“You’re staying here?” Mando questioned her as she moved to set the Kid on the ground. 

“Well, why not? Nevarro is a very fine planet. And now that the scum and villainy had been washed away, it’s very respectable again,”

“As a bounty hunter hive?”

“Some of my favorite people are bounty hunters - and used to be bounties. And perhaps this specimen of soldier might consider joining our ranks.” Karga stated, his voice full of hope. 

“Yeah, I got some clerical concerns regarding my chain code.” Cara said. 

Your eyes watched as the Kid slowly removed himself from the bag he was in, and began to waddle his way over to Mando as Karga and Cara continued to speak. The Kid reached outwards, and put both of his hands on Mando’s leg, holding on to him as he looked upwards. 

“But you my friend -” Karga interrupted your thoughts, “You will be welcome back into the Guild with open arms. And no more bounty on your head. So, go off, enjoy yourself. And when you are ready to return, you will have the pick of all the quarries.” 

Mando reached downwards, and scooped the Kid into his arms, before looking back at Cara and Greef. “I’m afraid I have more pressing matters at hand.” 

Cara stepped forwards, and rubbed one of the KId’s ears before looking into Mando’s visor, and at you with a soft smile. “Take care of this little one.” 

“Or maybe it’ll take care of you.” Karga mused. 

Mando nodded a couple of times, before turning to step away from them, you followed just slightly behind him. He wrapped one arm around your waist, waited for you to wrap your arms around his neck, and then shot off into the sky. 

*

Din limped towards the  _ Razor Crest _ with the Kid toddling along besides him. He saw Kuiil’s fallen form in the dust - Kuiil had been so close to the  _ Crest _ but not close enough. You stopped beside Din as he stared down at his fallen comrade.

“We should bury him.” you said gently. It’s the right thing to do.

Everyone was tired from the day's events, but you could rest once you’d buried Kuiil. Din nodded before wandering away to find rocks to build a cairn. You moved around, trying to help with finding rocks as well as keeping the baby away from Kuiil’s body. Picking up and moving dozens of various sized lava rocks, you brought them back to Kuiil’s body, and placed them down. 

As Din picked the last of the lava rocks to put atop of Kuiil’s body, he became acutely aware that he hadn’t seen you in quite some time, since you began building the burial cairn. Din looked down at the Child, who placed a small pebble on top of the pile of rocks already there. 

Din scanned the lava plains for your heat signature, but searching for you like that was useless. Everything was hot here. Switching off the thermal imager in his HUD, he looked for you with just his eyes behind the visor. 

That’s when he saw it. A lump on the ground, wearing similar clothes to the ones you wore today. His heart stopped for a moment as he froze completely. 

“Y/N?” Din asked, his voice haunted. 

He saw your body near the  _ Crest _ , unmoving. He dropped the last rock onto the ground and raced towards your fallen form. He sank to his knees when he got there. There was a dark red wound at your back, staining your white robes. Din gently rolled you onto your back.

Your eyes were closed, your skin was cold and dull. There was no pulse reading on his HUD when he looked down at you. 

**_You were dead, and had been dead for a long time._ **

Din’s eyes filled with tears as he looked over your body - your  _ dead _ body. Your chest was dirty and bloody, small cuts littered your face and arms from crashing and tumbling over the rocky earth. A blaster wound had cut through your back and also punctured your stomach - dried blood coated your clothing. You hadn’t escaped. You’d been shot down by the stormtroopers that came after you, Kuiil and the Child. 

Anger flared within Din’s body, and in such a vulnerable state, he reached upwards and yanked off his helmet, tossing it roughly on the ground.  _ This wasn’t fair. _ His tears flowed freely as he looked down at your face, before leaning over you. He pressed his face into your sternum, only inches away from the dried and bloody wound that burst from your chest. Din kept his face pressed against your cold body as he cried. 

You stood on the other side of your body, watching as the Kid placed smaller rocks near Kuiil’s grave site. He hadn’t noticed that Din was not by his side any more. 

“Din.” you sighed softly, looking down at him and your body, watching as he mourned over your death. Din’s hair was a dark expansive walnut color, clipped short, and you could imagine him inside the tiny fresher aboard the  _ Crest _ , scissors in hand, trying to use the small mirror to trim his hair by himself. His head was sweaty, and you saw a few smatterings of blood caked in his locks from where he sustained a concussion and other injuries from earlier. 

You wanted to comfort him, wanted to tell him that you loved him, and that everything was okay. You wanted to tell him to bury you like he’d done with Kuiil. You wanted to tell him to take the Kid, and traverse the stars in search of his kind. You wanted to remind him of every precious moment he’d given to you in your time together. But you could only stand on the other side of your body and watch as he sobbed, and it broke your very soul. 

“ _ Tiny star. _ ” growled a soft voice from behind you. Tears filled your eyes as you stared down at the top of Din’s head, and his mess of brown curls. You knew that voice. You whirled around and looked across the remote location of lava plains that Greef Karga had asked to rendezvous at, and came to stare at him. 

Cendren stood before you, looking exactly as he had the day he died. 

“Cendren!” you whimpered. 

You ran, and threw yourself at him as you buried your face into his chest and hugged him. You cried openly as Cendren’s arms wrapped around you and kept you close to him. Your hands curled around some of his fur, and fisted it tightly between your fingers as you tried to commit the feeling of it to memory. 

“Is it really you?” you sobbed into his chest. 

“It’s really me, my love.” Cendren answered you.

“How?” you gasped out in between sobs as you pulled back slightly to look up at him, half believing you’re dreaming. 

His eyes glowed bright red, and his gray fur looked exactly as you remembered it. Cendren was still impossibly tall, and you had to seriously crane your neck and arch your back to look at his face properly.    
“The Force, tiny star. You’re dead.” Cendren said. Your confused expression made him continue. “There are many things I have not taught you, and I deeply regret that. I had so much I wanted to share with you, but our time was cut short.”

“What Moff Gideon said… is it true? Are you -?”

“A traitor to both the Empire and the Republic? Yes, I was. I have done many wrong things in my life, but choosing to walk my own path was not one of them.” Cendren said, his words rough and gravelly. You drank in his words, committing how he sounded to your memory, but also analyzing what he said. 

“I don’t understand.” you whimpered, feeling like a lost child again. 

“I am neither Jedi nor Sith - despite what people will tell you. I chose to follow my heart, and do as the Force asked of me. Every being within the galaxy has the potential to be good and bad, simultaneously. Take your Mandalorian for example. His hands are drenched in blood and yet he sacrificed everything for the Child.” 

As Cendren spoke, you turned your head to look over your shoulder. Din’s body hadn’t moved from where he cried into your chest. His fists were curled around your tunic, wrinkling it from how tightly he clung to you - how desperate he was to not lose you, even when you were already gone.    
“I wanted to be different in the galaxy, to show that the ways of the Jedi are corrupt and vile, but to also show that the walking along the Dark side is not an ultimatum and is not forever. Neither side liked my unorthodox ways of thinking, and when the Clone Wars ended, the Empire sent hunters to silence me.” 

“And - and what am I?” 

“Neither if you so choose to be. Or one, or both. You define yourself in the galaxy, tiny star, no one else.” 

You turned back towards your Master, your brain tried to play catch up with all he was explaining to you. Your mind felt sluggish as you tried to sort and filter through each new piece of information. You could still see Cendren’s body falling to the ground as you recalled the painful memory of his death, and it brought more tears to your eyes. 

“I’m sorry.” you apologized, finally getting the chance to after so long.

“What are you apologizing for, tiny star? You have done nothing wrong.” Cendren asked, using his paw to tip your face upwards to look at him. 

“I got you killed. If I hadn't gotten sick, you wouldn’t have left our hut...” you cried.

“No, no, no. You did not kill me, tiny star. My death was not your fault.” he said in a serious growl, “My time was up. Do not blame yourself over this any longer. When you came into my life, I swore I would protect you with everything I am - my life included. I am sorry I left you, when I promised to never leave.” he apologized. 

You can’t stop the onslaught of tears that flood your eyes and streaked down your cheeks. “You don’t -” you choked out, vigorously shook your head back and forth. He didn’t have to apologize. He never had to apologize for anything. “ - don’t ever have to apologize to me. Never to me.” 

You buried your face in his chest again as you wrapped your arms around his body. Cendren pulled you close, and buried his snout in your hair, inhaling and exhaling your scent, using his steady heartbeat in his broad chest to calm you down - like he used to do when you were a child. You had missed him terribly, and after years of feeling guilty about his death, you could finally relax in his embrace, finally knowing he was okay, that he did not blame you for what had transpired. You clung to him, trying to make up for all the lost years that had passed by. 

“I will die a thousand deaths if it means you will get to live again, tiny star.” 

When you pulled away, figures on the edge of your vision caught your attention. Looking at them, you took in their features. One male, dressed in a red tunic with dark wavy hair and facial hair to match. His hand was linked together with a woman’s. Her red tunic dress matched the red one the man wears. Her hair was dark like the man’s as well, and if you tilt your head just slightly and unfocused your gaze you could see a mixture of golden auras surrounding and mixing together between the two of them creating one much like how your aura merged with Din’s. The two of them stood there, watching with such sad yet proud gazes. 

“What happens now Cendren?” you asked him, your voice grew small as you looked away from the couple and back up at your Master. 

“It is time to go.” he said as he released his grip around you. You turned back to look at Din, and a soft whine left your lips. The Kid had waddled over to your fallen form, and cried softly when his three fingered hand touched your bare and cut up leg. The Kid didn’t look at your body though, he stared directly at you and your Master, like he could see your ghosts. Your heartbeat picked up in your chest as you stared sadly at him, a heavy pressure weighing down on your soul. Leaving them is the hardest thing you will do in your lifetime. Trying to leave them on Sorgan was incredibly difficult and you hadn’t truly left them then. But now - now you actually had to leave and never return to them. They must go on without you. 

“Will - will they be okay?” you asked as your throat got tight as your Master stepped up to your side.

“Of course.” Cendren said simply. It eased your mind to know that the two people you loved most in the galaxy would be okay once you are no longer with them. 

“I - I don’t want to go.” you admitted, still looking down at them. Your heart pitter pattered in your chest, a soft little _‘please_ _don’t leave. Stay with them.’_ whispered through your soul.   
“I know. But there is much work to be done.” Cendren stated. 

“How do you know they’ll be okay?” you asked him. 

“ _ This is the Way of the Force, tiny star _ .” 

Cendren’s large paw touched your shoulder, and everything shifted. 

Coming back to life wasn’t like how you expected it to be. You had thought it involved violent intakes of breath, and massive amounts of energy to even do such a thing. But coming back to life… it was peaceful, like waking up after a restful and dreamy night of sleep. Your eyes opened slowly, and you felt a heavy weight pressing down on your sternum, which moved softly as you inhaled and exhaled. Looking down you saw the barest glimpses of Din’s profile - his ear, half of his dark eyebrow, the outer half of his eye socket, his cheek and his neck were all exposed for you to see, with the rest of his face buried against your body, hidden by your dirty, bloody clothes. 

Lifting your hand upwards, you gently stroked down Din’s cheek using the backs of your fingers. Your touch was feather light against him, and you enjoyed this moment of touching his face in the fading daylight before clamping your eyes shut as his head shot up, his entire body jerked backwards.

“ _ Cyare _ ?” he asked, his voice scared and broken, rough and raw. 

“ _ Din _ .” you whispered, reassuring him that you were here and alive again.

His chest heaved as he sat up to his full height. His shoulders sagged slightly as his eyes scanned across your body, searching for any sign of injury but there were none. His fingers moved on their own, as he slid your bloodied tunic up your torso, checking for the injuries that had taken your life from you. 

Nothing remained, only the perfectly smooth expanse of skin that covered your abdomen. 

With great effort, using your free hand you slapped your palm over your eyes. “Put your helmet back on. I’m not sure I can die and come back to life  _ again _ .” you forced out.

Din chuckled, before grabbing a hold of both of your hands. He pulled the hand over your eyes away from your face, and helped you sit upright. You struggled slightly, but it was the best you could do right now. Your eyes were still glued shut when you were finally up right, with Din supporting your back with his hands. 

“ _ Cyar’ika _ , open your eyes.” Din begged you.

“Your... your Creed.” you argued. “I won’t break it.” 

You heard Din fumble for his helmet, and only when you heard the familiar hiss, do you open your eyes. 

“How are you here?” he questioned you as the Kid moved closer to the two of you. 

“This is the Way of the Force.” you repeated Cendren’s words, not quite sure what had transpired. You had never cheated death like this before. 

“This is the Way.” Din repeated, his eyes never left your face, even if he was confused -  _ kriff you must be confused as well, coming back from the dead and all _ . 

The Kid squeezed between the two of you, and promptly flopped his body down to sit in your lap. You let out a playful  _ ‘oof’ _ sound, but he didn’t actually hurt you. Din’s helmet tilted downward in a disapproving manner at the Child’s behavior, but he would let it slide just this once. 

“I want to show you something.” you told him. 

“You want to mind probe me again?” he asked, a hint of humor in his tone. 

“If I recall, you said I could probe you anytime I wanted.” you flirted back. 

“What did you want to show me?” 

Your hand rested against the side of his neck, pressing against his skin beneath the cowl as you slipped into his mind. The image of the two strangers you’d seen in limbo slide from your mind and into Din’s. He gasped and jolted backwards but stayed close to you. 

“Who are they? They were there. They were so proud but so sad.” You told him.

“They’re my parents.” He stated.

“Your....” you couldn’t bring yourself to finish your question, instead you switched gears. “They were very proud of you Mando.”

Mando nodded, accepting your words, but didn't say anything. The Kid in your lap reached upwards with his three fingered hand, and gently pat your cheek and chin. Warmth radiated from his three little fingers and into your flesh. No, not warmth, but love. Love radiated from him. Happy tears threaten to spill from your eyes as you looked down at the baby. You hugged the Kid tighter, savoring the love you felt warming your heart. 

“I love you.” you told the Kid, before looking up at Mando. “I love you too.” 

“I love you too  _ cyare _ .”

The Kid wiggled in your lap, protesting the Din didn’t say he loved him as well. You huffed out a laugh as you looked at Din, waiting for him to tell the Kid he loved him. With a tilt of his helmet, Din looked down at the Child. “You too buddy.” 

The three of you sat there on the lava plains for a while, savoring the feeling of joy and triumph that settled across the valley. Din helped you off the ground, and to your feet, where he kept his hands on your waist to steady you. Holding the baby out for Din to take, he took the Kid in one arm, and wrapped the other around your waist to help guide you up the open cargo ramp and into the  _ Crest _ . 

“What do we do now?” you questioned him, unsure of where to begin the next chapter of your journey together, traversing and trekking across the stars as you settled into the copilot’s chair in the cockpit. 

The Mandalorian sat down in the pilot’s seat, as the Jedi sat behind him, with the Child perched in his pram in the opposite chair inside the cockpit. The Mandalorian flipped several switches and levers, and got the  _ Razor Crest  _ through the atmosphere of Nevarro and into deep space before he answered the Jedi’s question. 

“Now, we search for his kind.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is not the end. we still have to search for grogu's kind. the next installment in this series will continue under the new title/new part called "Search for His Kind." (coming soon in 2021)


End file.
